MVR 58 million is needed to complete Thimarafushi airport: Finance Minister

Minister of Finance and Treasury Abdulla Jihad has said that an additional sum of MVR 58 million is needed to complete the Thaa Thamarafushi airport construction project.

Minister Jihad told Sun that he is trying to allocate the money from the State budget for Maldives Airports Company to finish the project.

“We are trying to allocate the money through this year’s budget or the supplementary budget. A meeting regarding this matter will be held today. There is no inclination to obtaining a loan for the project,” Minister Jihad said.

The Minister said that he has written to the Parliament Public Accounts Committee, upon their request, stating the details of the Thaa Thimarafushi airport construction project and that in his letter, he has noted that the a sum of MVR 58 million is needed to complete the project.

Government commissioned Maldives Airports Company to carry out the airport construction project, who has in turn commissioned the Maldives Transport and Construction Company (MTCC) for the project for a sum of MVR 32 million.

Under the first phase of the project, construction of the airport’s runway, taxi-way, apron, fire and rescue roads and the runway security areas have all been nearly completed.

MP for Thimarafushi constituency Ahmed Shareef has recently stated that a senior member of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) is deliberately forcing President Dr. Waheed’s hand to delay the work on the project. PPM quickly denied the allegations. MP Shareef has now announced his decision to leave PPM and join President Waheed’s Gaumee Ithihad Party.