Minister Aslam: Projects carried out unsustainably to expedite completion

Minister of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam, on Tuesday, attributed the lack of government projects centered around sustainability to efforts to expedite the completion of the projects.

At Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting, Kudahuvadhoo MP Ahmed Amir, expressing concern over the government’s repeated undertaking and expenditure on the same projects, questioned the minister on why government-initiated projects are not carried out sustainably.

“We have not seen days where major changes are not brought the very next day after completion, if not, renovations or something of this sort,” he stressed.

Responding to the query – Minister Aslam said he believes government-initiated projects are often repeatedly undertaken as adequate time is not allocated for planning and designing of these projects. Underscoring projects are carried out differently in foreign nations – he said that years are exhausted on planning and designing of projects.

“Approximately five to ten years are exhausted in America to commence physical works on a port after planning, designing and administrative works. Us, on the other hand, as quick as a flash,”

“It is the situation in the Maldives whether be it designing or carrying out the EIA. Because we carry out the work in such demand – we believe there will be flaws in designing as some matters, without our attention, could have been omitted,” he said.

Minister Aslam emphasized that adequate time was necessary to carry out projects sustainably. He reasoned that projects are repeatedly undertaken as the government needs to cater to the demand requiring its quick completion.