Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muhthalib has said that 50 projects awarded to the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) by the previous administration did not commence before the end of the term.
Speaking to PSM News, Minister Muhthalib said that the budget allocated to the ministry for 2024 was USD 233 million, although the projects cost more than USD2.5 billion. He said the previous administration has awarded more than 300 projects and allocated very little financing for the projects. He said that many of those projects were awarded to state owned MTCC, Road Development Corporation Limited (RDC) and Malé Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC), while those companies lacked the capacity to conduct such projects. He also noted that 50 ongoing projects that were handed over to the new administration are now complete amid the difficulties.
Furthermore, Minister Muhthalib said USD 58 million was allocated for development projects this year, which was spent on ongoing projects. He noted that the new administration was able to start only two projects as completely new projects in the past year.