President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the Ras Malé land reclamation project will be completed within the next five months and that the recipients of 15,000 plots will be identified by the time the reclamation is finished.

Speaking at a rally held by the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) on Friday night, attended by people brought from islands across the Maldives, the president stated that additional dredgers will arrive next month to accelerate the project.

According to the president, the added machinery will triple the current pace of reclamation, enabling full completion within the five-month timeline he set.

He stated that the criteria for allocating plots in Ras Malé will be publicized within the next week, with applications for the 15,000 plots opening within a month. He also said that the government will soon identify those eligible for the flats being planned. As part of the administration’s broader housing agenda, work is underway to build 825 housing units across 13 islands through contracted companies, while next year’s budget includes provisions for another 1,100 units across 16 islands.

Regarding housing projects in the Greater Malé Region (GMR), the president said construction is ongoing for 3,000 housing units in partnership with the Bank of Maldives (BML). With plans for an additional 4,500 units, he stated that a total of 7,500 units will be developed in the coming period.

He further announced that a dredger will arrive on November 23 to accelerate reclamation efforts. With its arrival, work will continue on reclaiming Giraavaru Lagoon, and he stated that plots will be distributed to those already allocated land in that area.

Muizzu has given multiple, shifting timelines for the completion of the Ras Malé project. Although it has been a top priority since his administration took office, and reclamation began in December 2023 with an initial promise of completion within eight months, 22 months have now passed and only 16 percent of the planned 1,100 hectares has been reclaimed.

Despite his earlier assurance that not a single laari of state funds would be used, millions of U.S. dollars have already been allocated from the state budget, and the contractors for the project have been changed several times.