Planning Minister Mohamed Aslam has said that engineers have not expressed concern over the quality of the Thilamale' Bridge.
During Monday's Parliament hearing, Maavashu MP Mohamed Saeed noted that several engineers had expressed concern over the quality of bridges constructed by the Thilamale' Bridge contractor, India's AFCONS Infrastructure. He also said he had heard concerns from many international bodies.
In response to MP Saeed's concerns, Minister Aslam said he was not aware of any engineer expressing concerns about the Thilamale' Bridge.
"I have not even heard of people outside the Maldives expressing concerns," Aslam said.
Minister Aslam said the responsible way to talk about a major infrastructure such as the Thilamale' Bridge in Parliament is to back any statements with facts and evidence.
"I don't believe we can talk about it here unless we substantiate the claim that local engineers have expressed concern over the quality of work done by AFCONS," Aslam said.
The Thilamale' Bridge will be 6.695 km long and will include a bridge and causeway. The bridge is being funded by the Government of India with a $100 million grant and a $400 million loan.
