Addu residents protest against Eid lights amid power cuts

Residents and councillors of Addu have protested against the installation of decorative lights for Eid al-Fitr, citing ongoing electricity supply issues that have persisted for months.

The power supply problem in the interconnected islands of Addu remains unresolved, with frequent and prolonged outages affecting daily life. Despite this, decorative lights have been installed in various parts of the city in preparation for Eid, prompting criticism on social media.

Addu Deputy Mayor Mohamed Shuau stated in a Facebook post that residents do not support the installation of Eid lights until the electricity issue is resolved. He noted that the problem has remained unresolved for the past year and questioned whether the government was disregarding the concerns of the people.

Ibrahim Shinaz, a representative of Hithadhoo in the Addu City Council, expressed similar views in a post on X, opposing the installation of lights while power issues persist.

Social media users also criticised the decision, with one commenter stating that spending millions of rufiyaa on decorative lights while nearly 25,000 residents experience unreliable electricity was unacceptable. Another resident wrote, "We don't want Eid lights. We want a solution to the electricity problem."

Another commentator suggested that the funds allocated for the lights, reportedly MVR 28 million, could be used to improve the city's power infrastructure, including replacing damaged generators.

Fenaka has announced efforts to address the issue. Fenaka Managing Director Mohamed Najah stated that a new 1.8 MW generator set is being sent to Addu to help stabilise the electricity supply.