Lonuziyaarai Bageecha has officially been opened to the public, in commemoration of Maldives Republic Day.

The garden park, located in Lonuziyaarai area of Maldives capital Malé City, was opened by former Housing Minister Umar Zahir who is also a holder of the Order of the Distinguished Rule of Izzuddin, on Wednesday.

The opening ceremony was joined by the First Couple, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Fazna Ahmed, alongside former president and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, Vice President Faisal Naseem as well as distinguished members of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Speaking during the ceremony, Malé City Mayor Shifa Mohamed revealed that the city council had faced criticism from the public upon initiating the project, as the did not believe it was adequate to build such a park in an urban and concrete city.

MVR 16.8 million was allocated for the project through the state budget and the park measures 2.5 hectares of land.

Shifa noted that MVR 6.6 million was allocated for the project under the state budget last year, however, MVR 7.5 million was spent additionally to complete the development within the concluding year.

The development of the garden park was a golden opportunity to materialize the incumbent administration’s pledge to create a greener Malé City, said Shifa, who added that the park’s greenery and floral ambiance will pair well with weddings and other events.

Further speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Mayor Shamau Shareef revealed that they did not expect to plant any types of trees at the location when the project started, however, he noted that a number of rare plants and trees have been planted at the park.

Highlighting that they are working to train Maldivians to be employed as security guards at the park, Shifa stated that they have also been considering the employment of women as security guards.

Shifa highlighted that the garden park will open many job opportunities as well.

Earlier, the city council revealed that Lonuziyaarai Bageecha, the garden park in the Sinamalé Bridge region, will be opened to the public during July, however, the council failed to complete the park by then. This is to have been caused due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, of which the greater Malé region is the epicenter.

The city council earlier revealed that Lonuziyaarai Bageecha is currently the largest garden park in the Maldives and the public will only be able to experience the park’s peaceful atmosphere after a visit. They added that soundproofing systems have also been planted at the park, in order to drown out the noise of the road traffic.

Initially, authorities allocated the location for other purposes, however, the construction of the park began last year, with an aim to make the populous capital greener and more social-friendly.