News Desk
President Dr. Mohammed Muizzu said today that progress on the India‑aided Thilamalé Bridge project remains very slow, despite the government doing everything it can to move the work forward.
Responding to a journalist at a press conference at the President’s Office, President Muizzu said the pace of construction has been disappointing and that the deadline for completion has already been extended.
“It is really slow. The government is doing everything it can. In the meantime, we have been asked for an extension and we have given it more time,” he said.
President Muizzu said he does not believe any citizen would be satisfied with the current speed of the project. He said the administration continues to push the contractor to accelerate the work.
He noted that the completion date announced in last year’s presidential address did not align with the current timeline. The contractor had earlier given a target of 2026, but the date has now shifted to 2027.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, 71.60 percent of the project has been completed. Current work includes casting segments for the bridge deck and installing completed segments.
Afcons Infrastructure of India was awarded the contract for the Thilamalé Bridge on 26 August. By the end of the previous administration, nearly half of the project had not been completed.
The project includes three main bridges: one linking Malé and Vilimalé, one linking Vilimalé and Gulhifalhu, and one linking Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi. A ramp will be built in Vilimalé, and a road will be constructed in Gulhifalhu. Some dredging is planned in Vilimalé and Thilafushi.
The project is valued at 500 million dollars, with India providing a 400 million dollar loan and a 100 million dollar grant.
