Vice President Faisal Naseem has announced that there will be no charge for travel to Kudagiri Picnic Island on weekends and public holidays.
After inspecting the latest preparations for the opening of Kudagiri, Vice President Naseem said that there will be no need to pay for the ferry to Kudagiri or an entrance fee during the holidays. He said that only locals can use the island on such days. In addition, he said the purpose of the picnic island is to provide a pleasant time for the public and is equipped to also provide services to children and individuals with special needs.
The decision to not charge fees during the holidays is to facilitate the public and allow as many travellers as possible to Kudagiri. Locals travelling to the island are required to pay USD1.6 per individual for the ferry and the entrance fee is USD3.2. However, children under 12 will be charged half these prices.
Residents of the Greater Male’ Region currently do not have a convenient picnic location. The residents in the capital region lost the only picnic island within accessible proximity following the redevelopment of Kuda Bandos as a resort. It is an electoral pledge of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to develop a picnic island near Male' City. The project is a joint effort of five government companies.
The master plan of the picnic island was developed by Housing Development Corporation (HDC). A total of eight hectares of land was reclaimed by the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) for the development of the picnic island. The utility services of the island were developed jointly by Male’ Water and Sewerage Company Private Limited (MWSC), Fenaka Corporation Limited, and State Electric Company Limited (STELCO).
The government is carrying out the project in two phases. All services except accommodation will be available when the island is opened to the public. As such, a mosque, public toilets, changing rooms, and 15 huts as well as water sports facilities will be made available to the public. Accommodation blocks will be developed under the second phase of the project. Final preparations are underway for the opening of Kudagiri, which is scheduled to be officially opened on February 11.