Thilafushi land reclamation project temporarily stopped

Thilafushi land reclamation project, initiated by the government and contracted to Heavy Load, a company owned by the Interim Chairperson Moosa “Reeko” Manik of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has been temporarily put on hold.

Mohamed Latheef, Manager Corporate Affairs and Legal, of the Thilafushi Corporation Ltd., a government corporation set up to carry out Thilafushi development plans, said yesterday that the work was temporarily stopped due to the advice of an independent engineer, in order to do shore-line protection works in the island. He declined to reveal the identity of the “independent engineer”.

30 hectors of land, out of a total of planned 157 hectors, have been reclaimed at Thilafushi so far.

Latheef said that the work has been put on hold under condition that it should resume within 30 days of the Corporation’s direction to do so. However, he did not give any specifics on the dates for shore-line protection work or recommencement of land reclamation work.

When asked whether land reclamation couldn’t be carried out together with the work of land reclamation, Latheef said that this had been the initial plan, although the independent engineer later advised against that plan.

The largest dredger used by Heavy Load Company for land reclamation at Thilafushi is now being used at GMR Ibrahim Nasir International Airport for land reclamation in the area where the new terminal is to be built. This has been confirmed by Heavy Load CEO Ismail Nashid, while Latheef himself confirmed that Heavy Load had taken the dredger out of Thilafushi.

According to Haveeru Daily, the work of land reclamation at the eastern region of Hulhumalé, where GMR has planned to build a new terminal, was started by Heavy Load about a week ago.

Although GMR did not reveal the contract value agreed between them and Heavy Load, GMR had said during last August that the work of the new terminal would be carried out by a GMR Subsidiary by the name of GMR Airport Development Ltd, and that the work would be contracted to Heavy Load. Back then, GMR said that USD 20 million would be spent on the land reclamation project for the new terminal.

An official from Boskalis International said that they had proposed the lowest bid price, although their bid was cancelled by GMR. The official said that their bid price was USD 17 million.

The attempts to get a comment from GMR have not been successful.