Minister of National Planning and Infrastructure, Mohamed Aslam has stated that he believes work has begun on the road development project in Thimarafushi island of Thaa atoll.
Aslam made this assertion in response to a question posed by MP for Thimarafushi constituency Abdulla Riyaz during Tuesday’s Majlis sitting to which the minister was summoned for questioning. MP Riyaz inquired on when work is expected to begin for the project, for which funds were allocated during 2019.
The minister highlighted that the project was contracted to the Road Development Corporation (RDC) on 31 December 2019, on a design and build basis.
A total of MVR 75.7 million was allocated for the road development project in Thimarafushi from last year's budget and the budget for the ongoing year as well.
Shedding light on the latest updates, Aslam revealed that RDC will complete the required surveys to design the project by the end of the ongoing month and that they are working to compile an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
Currently, they are working to complete the surveys for the design and will begin work on the EIA. So I believe the work has begun in the project. Tarring will also begin soon, more work has been completed like creating a base layer and other work”Minister Aslam
Further, the planning minister highlighted that road development work is currently being carried out in several regions of the country, at different levels and qualities. Aslam revealed that some projects exceed expectations for the design, under which some roads have been completed already. However, Aslam stated that this might not be the most beneficial to the state.
Consecutively the ministry is currently in discussions with relevant stakeholders to ensure whether the designs are being created the most adequately.
MP Riyaz went on to question whether a stormwater drainage system will be established under the project and if the company tasked with the project is capable of completing the task. To this, Aslam responded that the only company tasked with road development projects in the country, in the past is Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC).
Highlighting that the rest of the companies are foreign companies, Aslam stressed on the importance of establishing a company in the country that can effectively take on road development projects. Adding that RDC was established to fulfil this purpose, the minister added that he believes the company is fully capable of adequately and professionally completing road development projects.
