Minister of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam has travelled to Addu City to resolve the issues regarding the road development project.
After his arrival, Minister Aslam held discussions with the contractor, engineers, and city council in order to resolve the issues regarding the project. During the one-month trip, the minister will also be observing the fieldwork at the sites and addressing public complaints.
Addu City Council and residents have voiced complaints regarding the project. As such, Mayor Ali Nizar said the city council has received numerous public complaints over the quality of the work, highlighting that residents expect the developed roads to last for a number of years due to the large state expenditure for the project.
The Addu road development project is being funded by the USD800 million line-of-credit provided by EXIM Bank of India. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih officially launched the fieldwork in March 2022. The USD77 million project is overseen by India-based Afcons Infrastructure Limited.
The new roads have been designed to resolve the issue of flooding, with stormwater drainage systems being installed in Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo, and Meedhoo. The project will see the installation of 103km of stormwater drainage systems. A total of 107km of roads are set to be constructed across Addu which includes Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Maradhoo Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo, and Meedhoo. Additionally, 40km of the road will be built with asphalt and bricks and 67km of the road would be built by using a cement stabilised base layer.