The Road Development Corporation (RDC) has initiated a large-scale, comprehensive training programme for technical personnel tasked with operating and maintaining its new fleet of 230 heavy vehicles, which arrived in the Maldives during the first week of April.
The initiative is a critical step in the corporation's plan to accelerate infrastructure development across the nation.
With the fleet comprising excavators, forklifts, and dump trucks, all of which require specially trained and licensed operators, the RDC is prioritising the certification of its staff. According to RDC Managing Director Ibrahim Nazeem, a total of 108 employees from both Male' and the atolls are currently undergoing rigorous training. The programme includes both theoretical instruction and hands-on practical sessions, the latter being conducted on the industrial island of Thilafushi.
According to Nazeem, the training of vehicle operators and a maintenance team has been started and will continue until next week. He further noted that the subsequent priority is the registration of the vehicles, a process that is now in its final stages, paving the way for their imminent deployment.
The corporation is currently identifying recipient islands and projects, with an initial batch of machinery slated for twenty islands. The fleet is intended to bolster ongoing RDC projects and will be utilised for future development work in the areas to which they are assigned. The shipment also included four new tar plants—one 80-tonne and three 40-tonne units—imported through a renowned Chinese company to enhance road development capabilities.
A significant portion of the new resources is expected to be deployed to the newly reclaimed Gulhi Falhu, where the RDC, alongside the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC), has been tasked with establishing utility services.
This large-scale import of machinery underscores the government's concerted effort to expedite the pace of major infrastructure projects throughout the Maldives.