Govt revises Rasmale reclamation plan after project stalls

Minister for Construction and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muthalib has said that the ministry has decided to reclaim land for the Rasmale project so that any land is not required to be given to the contractor hired to complete the project.

The minister said this on X, reposting an article written about Rasmale, after the press conference held by the Construction Ministry on Thursday.

The minister said Sri Lanka's Capital Marine and Civil Construction Company (CMC) was not given the opportunity to carry out the project because the government had decided to carry out the project without giving land to the contractor.

"The main reason for not giving further opportunity to the contractor is that the government wants to finance the project through contractors without giving them land in the Male area. Hopefully, the dredging work will start soon," Muthalib said in his post.

Replying to a question from a journalist at the press conference held at the Construction Ministry on Thursday, the minister said the Rasmale project was awarded on a contractor-sponsored basis.

Muthalib said the government is now trying to start work soon.

"The government is trying to work with a number of different parties who will be able to complete the reclamation by the end of this year. There have been a lot of achievements here," Muthalib said.

He said he would announce the details when the practical work starts again.

The minister said the biggest challenge faced in carrying out the project was the deduction of the requested funds for the Rasmale project in the budget for this year.

“Now we have to find another financing mechanism to carry out the project,” he said.

The dredging of the lagoon started on December 18, 2023 in collaboration with the CMC.

President Mohamed Muizzu had earlier announced that 1,153 hectares of land would be reclaimed from the Fushidhiggaru lagoon near Gulhi and if the work goes as per schedule, it will be completed within eight months.