Funds not secured for further reclamation of Gulhifalhu: minister
The minister highlighted that the government aims to proceed with the 85-hectare project as soon as possible, by working through various means
Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muththalib
Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muththalib has revealed that funds for further reclamation of Gulhifalhu have not yet been secured.
He said this while speaking at a press conference held at the President's Office on Monday.
Muththalib clarified that funding has not been arranged for the reclamation of 85 hectares of land from Gulhifalhu, which incumbent administration of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu decided to assign to Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC).
He said that they had even signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MTCC to reclaim the 85 hectares of additional land the government wants and worked on securing financing. However, he said that they have not figured out a clear path for the financing, with which work has been stalled.
The minister highlighted that the government aims to proceed with the 85-hectare project as soon as possible, by working through various means.
However, he did not clarify what these means are.
During former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration, 150 hectares of land were reclaimed from Gulhifalhu. The project was contracted to Dutch company Boskalis and plots from the land were allocated to citizens of the congested capital, Malé City.
While the reclamation work initiated by the former administration was completed this year, Dr. Muizzu's government has completely changed the land use plan for Gulhifalhu, cancelling the previously allocated plots and deciding to redistribute them through a new draw system.
Despite concerns expressed by those who had received plot registrations from the reclaimed area of Gulhifalhu, the current administration has decided to proceed with the new draw process starting Tuesday, without addressing these concerns.
The newly designated area for plot allocation includes areas of Gulhifalhu that have not been reclaimed yet.
With the changes to the land use plan, the incumbent administration has decided to allocate a total of 3,520 plots from Gulhifalhu.
The former administration had decided to allocate over 9,000 plots of land to Malé residents from the area including Hulhumalé, Gulhifalhu, and Giraavaru Falhu.
