Government acquired land under the guise of developing an ICT hub by withholding approval of the LUP through deceptive means: Nizar

Addu City Mayor Ali Nizar has accused the government of acquiring land to establish an ICT hub in the city through deceptive means, alleging that the approval of the city's Land Use Plan was intentionally withheld to facilitate the process.

Speaking at a PNC rally held on Saturday night, Economic Minister Saeed announced that the physical work on the project is set to commence very soon.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Saeed noted that global tech giant Google’s subsea cable, which will cross the Indian Ocean to connect with Oman, is scheduled to be routed through Hithadhoo in Addu City. He emphasized that this development will significantly bolster Addu's economy. Particularly within the digital economy landscape, this project is expected to pave the way for Addu City to transform into an international ICT hub.

In response to Saeed’s remarks, Nizar stated that even the land required for the project was acquired through fraudulent means.

"This land was acquired under the pretext of government use. We repeatedly inquired about the specific purpose of the acquisition, but no clarification was provided. Ultimately, we handed over the land because we were told that the Land Use Plan would only be approved upon its transfer. That is how it transpired," Nizar said.

Nizar noted that claims suggesting there is no other comparable facility in the Asian region are likely to be misleading and factually incorrect. He further stated that despite the government's ambitious rhetoric so far, there has been no tangible evidence of these plans being put into practice.

Nizar further stated that although Saeed claimed the project would benefit Addu's economy, he failed to provide a clear explanation of how that would be achieved. Nizar noted that it is illogical to assert that the project will bring progress to Addu without identifying the specific employment opportunities or benefits available to its residents.

"The mere passage of a communication cable through this area will not create jobs, nor will it transform the location into an IT hub. No technical details have been provided regarding this project. These are simply fairy tales and a massive deception," Nizar said.

He noted that since the land rent is paid directly to the government, the public would not derive any benefit from the arrangement. Furthermore, Nizar described misleading the public in such a manner ahead of the elections as regrettable, and urged citizens not to fall into such traps.