Excavator for Thinadhoo Cold Storage Project Lies Idle: Ghafoor

The Member of Parliament for the Hanimaadhoo constituency and acting Chairperson of the MDP, Abdul Ghafoor Moosa, has criticized the government over the stalled cold storage project in Thinadhoo City. He remarked that the excavator brought in for the project remains idle and has yet to be mobilized, adding that this administration lacks the capability to even wake it up.

Speaking at an MDP rally held in Thinadhoo City on Saturday night, Ghafoor stated that the previous MDP administration had transported all the necessary equipment and materials to the city to establish a 1,500-ton cold storage facility. However, he noted that all the materials brought for the project remain untouched, and the site itself remains in its original state without any progress.

Ghafoor stated that the excavator assigned to the site remained dormant. He remarked that it never woke up, adding that this administration is incapable of even bringing it to life.

This is not an administration that came to serve the people. This is a government that came to steal from the public funds. They will do nothing else. Since this administration took office, they have generated 42 billion rufiyaa in debt. Combined with this year’s budget, 174 billion rufiyaa has been entrusted to them by the people. This includes the money of the citizens of Thinadhoo. They have no shame in approaching the people to ask for votes without having done a single thing for the land of Thinadhoo. Without any sense of shame, they are asking for your vote.

Abdul Ghafoor Moosa, Member of Parliament for the Hanimaadhoo constituency and Interim Chairperson of the MDP.

Former Member of Parliament for the South Thinadhoo constituency, Abdulla Saneef, expressed concern last year regarding the lack of progress on the city's cold storage facility, noting that no physical work had commenced and that local fishermen were growing increasingly disillusioned.

Saneef stated that since Huvadhoo Atoll is a major fishing hub, land was reclaimed in Thinadhoo to establish an additional cold storage facility. He further noted that the necessary equipment and machinery required for the construction of the facility have already been transported to the island.

Furthermore, Saneef stated that the project remained incomplete by the end of the previous administration. He noted that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had also expressed concern regarding the slow pace of the cold storage facility's establishment.

While the project remains stalled, Minister of Fisheries Ahmed Shiyam stated during a meeting with the city's fishermen on September 22, 2024, that the Thinadhoo City cold storage facility is expected to be completed and operational within 2025.

Huvadhoo Atoll has become the primary hub for the Maldives' traditional pole-and-line fishing industry, with numerous vessels from across the country operating within the region.

The project involves the construction of foundation works for a cold storage facility and a diesel tank within the area allocated to the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) in the Thinadhoo Industrial Zone. The scope of work also includes the development of a 4,790-square-foot single-story administrative office building, a 261-square-foot single-story chemical storage unit, and a 266-square-foot single-story salt storage facility. Additionally, the project encompasses the laying of reinforced concrete paving across an area of 3,050.363 square feet.

The project, funded by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), was awarded to MTCC on July 12, 2023.