Government will not be shutting down Carnival cafes

Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the government had decided to revoke its earlier decision to close down all the cafes in the Carnival area in order to build the Saudi-funded mosque.

The multiple cafes and teashops in the area had been given a six-month notice to vacate the premises back in May in order to clear the area for the “King Salman Mosque”.

Owners of the cafes had expressed distress over the decision.

Speaking to press this Monday, Dr. Muizzu said that there would be enough space for the cafes to operate in once the space where the mosque will be built is reoriented.

“When the area is reoriented and when adjustments are made, the boundary of the mosque can be taken without affecting the cafes. So the area has been surveyed and our current decision is not to close down the cafes,” said Muizzu.

He noted that closing down the cafes and teashops in the Carnival would cause further distress to the people given that the cafes and teashops in the Harbor area had also been closed down.

“Such places providing food and beverage is a convenience to the people. All such places in the Harbor area have been closed down to build food courts. Closing down all such places at once with inconvenience the people,” said Muizzu.

Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure had announced earlier that the King Salman Mosque would be built in an area measuring more than 142,716 square feet.