Major two parties agree to allow additional budget to clear garbage area

The two major parties have supported to submit a case to the Parliament Public Accounts Committee to disburse additional funds from the contingency budget to clear the main garbage dumping area in Male’.

The notion follows a prediction that the ongoing project cannot be completed within the MVR 8 million provided by the Finance Ministry.

The proposition to allow money from the contingency budget was made by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary Group Leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (Ibu) and was supported by Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Parliamentary Group Member Ahmed Shareef.

Public Accounts Committee Chairman Thoddoo MP Ali Waheed said that he will discuss and decide on the matter during the next committee meeting, scheduled for Monday.

The garbage dump area holds a large heap of 15 year old wood and concrete rubble. Male’ City Council Mayor Maizan Ali Manik (Alibe) said that they will not be able to complete clearing the area as the equipment for the project have been hired on rent. He said that they able to use only one out of the three vessels used to transport the rubble to the garbage island Thilafushi and that the equipment used to load the garbage onto the transportation trucks have also broken down, forcing them to hire machines from companies Heavy Load and Vimla Construction.

While the major two parties have expressed concern and proposed that money be withdrawn from the contingency budget, Mayor Alibe has said that the Defence Minister Colonel (Rtd) Mohamed Nazim has mentioned that the expenses for project currently undertaken by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) will be made from the Defence Ministry budget.

Imaduddin School Principal Mohamed Ibrahim Asif Rasheed who attended the Parliament Committee on the Accountability of the Government today said that the problem of smoke and fumes that engulf the school has persisted since 2009 and that even though it is not directly visible, the 1600 student and 180 staff who study and work at the school premises have been suffering greatly due to this problem.