Muizz says will speed up India-financed Thilamale Bridge

PPP-PNC presidential candidate Dr Mohamed Muizz has said that he does not understand why the Greater Male Connectivity Project or Thilamale Bridge project is being delayed, and that he will expedite and complete the project, which aims to link the capital Male with its suburbs of Villimale and Gulhifalhu as well as industrial islands of Thilafushi.

In an exclusive interview with Atoll Times' sister publication Dhauru, on the third episode of its Riyaasee Vaahaka talkshow for the September 9 presidential election on Saturday morning, Muizz said the project is not going well and he has been criticising the project before and now.

Muizz said such a major project would not have been going on for so long without a reason, and he would look into the project when he came to power.

"About $700 million, probably. I just don't understand why it's being delayed so much. There's definitely something wrong," he said.

Muizz, who as the housing minister in President Abdulla Yameen's cabinet oversaw the Chinese-funded Sinamale Bridge which linked Male with the airport island of Hulhule and satellite town of Hulhumale, said he would know whether the project needed to be changed after seeing the progress of the project. He said it was difficult to say exactly what needed to be done to speed up the project.

"Expelling the company from here or not, cancelling the Indian loan or not. I can't say what the change needed is at this time. Whatever it takes, we will bring the best solution," Muizz said.

"[With the change] the project should move forward. I honestly don't know what the solution is [yet]."

Agreements for the project have not been disclosed despite Right to Information (RTI) requests, Muizz said.

"So, we need to come into the government, so that we can look at these things. I don't know what the outcome will be. But the outcome should be that the bridge will have to be built here. I will hopefully do that," he said.

Key statistics of the bridge: