Construction Minister Dr. Abdulla Muththalib has said the government's ambitious Ras Male' project is not progressing as envisioned.
The new administration launched the Ras Male' project on December 18, 2024, under which Fushi Dhiggaru Falhu will be developed as a modern mega city. A total of 1150 hectares of land will be dredged by Sri Lanka's Capital Marine and Civil Construction Company (CMCC), affiliated with Netherland's Boskalis, in exchange for the long-term lease of 70 hectares of land from Hulhumale Phase II and Rasmale', with 10 hectares from Hulhumale and 60 from Rasmale'. This arrangement was made to avoid relying on the state budget after the 19th Parliament rejected the government's proposal to allocate MVR 400 million for the project in this year's budget.
CMCC was awarded the contract to complete the dredging of 1,150 hectares of land within eight months of starting work. While the deadline expires this August, Minister Dr. Muththalib today said the project has encountered significant obstacles, with two primary issues being CMCC's failure to secure the necessary funding, and the parliamentary budget cuts affecting this year's allocation. Despite these setbacks, the government's efforts to accelerate the dredging work through other means are successful, he said.
“The details will be disclosed once the practical work starts,” he said.
The Ras Male' project includes plans to allocate 11,900 plots of land and construct 65,000 housing units.
Dr. Muthalib disclosed that arrangements have also been made to accelerate the construction of 15,000 housing. While the construction of the housing units has been awarded to the Chinese company, China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), the same group that built the Hiyaa towers in Hulhumale Phase II, the company intends to manufacture the supplies and equipment needed for the project within Maldives to further expedite the process. The necessary factory for this production will be built on the first dredged land in Fushidhiggaru, he said.
Dr. Mauthalib assured that the speed of construction would not compromise the quality of the housing units. The works previously done by the Chinese company will reflect this, he said.
