Afcons outsourced Addu road construction; 'Poor quality, delays'
Afcons was awarded the MVR 1.1 billion project in February 2021 to set up a water supply network and develop the roads in all areas of Addu.
By
Shahudha Mohamed
The road construction project in Addu which has been awarded to India's Afcons Infrastructure, the company that is also constructing the Thilamale bridge under the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), has been outsourced to another Indian company, it has been learnt, as complaints rise over the poor work quality and the delays in the work.
Afcons was awarded the MVR 1.1 billion project in February 2021 to set up a water supply network and develop the roads in all areas of Addu under a credit line provided by Exim Bank of India.
The project, which was supposed to be completed in two years, has not been going as per plans and people have begun voicing their discontent regarding it. Among them is Feydhoo MP Mohamed Nihad.
"Afcons was awarded the project to work simultaneously on three sites; to complete the work in a fast and quality manner. Now since only one team is working, the quality of work has gone down and it's too slow," Nihad wrote on Twitter.
While there are complaints of the poor quality of work being done, Nihad pointed out that people are facing a lot of problems due to the upended roads that are being dug and worked on. Noting that such projects are done with public money, he said that "we can't wait and watch the people’s money being wasted".
Some residents of Addu have also expressed concern over the progress of the project, saying that the dug-up roads in various parts of Hithadhoo are hindering traffic, and causing injuries to the people as some of them, children included, fall into the road pits.
Atoll Times has learnt that one of the reasons for the delay in the project in some islands is that Afcons has been outsourcing most of the work.
When contacted, Meedhoo Councilor Aiminath Soliha told Atoll Times on Thursday:
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Afcons has handed over the road construction in Meedhoo to a subcontractor; MM Exports of India, which had developed roads in Hulhumale Phase II
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The company had started road development on 3 October
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They have been informed that the delay was due to difficulties in handing the project over to the subcontractor and procuring the company's machinery and materials for the work
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So far, the work has been completed in only one area
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The company says it will take eight months to complete the road development in Meedhoo, but the work on other sites will be completed by February, as is stipulated in the agreement.
Soliha said that she believes the pace at which the road construction is being carried out is not so slow and that even the work quality was good.
Responding to a question about the quality of roads in Addu, presidential spokesperson Miuvaan Mohamed told journalists on Thursday that the quality of the government's projects in Addu and all parts of the country would meet quality standards.
