President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has met with members of the Dhiyamigili Island Council, as well as Senior Officials and Representatives from the institutions in the island as part of his official visit to some islands of Thaa Atoll.
During the meeting held at the Secretariat of the Dhiyamigili Island Council, discussions were focused on developmental plans and the concerns and priorities of the citizens. President Solih emphasised the foremost purpose for such meetings is to fully understand the needs of the public, as it is the aim of the administration to create progress through inclusive discourse. He further said another primary purpose is to discuss development plans for the future welfare of the islands, and help the councillors fully understand the opportunities that will be available through amendments to the Decentralisation Act.
The councillors shared their plans for a major infrastructural project to connect Dhiyamigili and neighbouring Madifushi, along with the uninhabited islands in between, via a causeway. The councillors also shared their ideas and plans for the project, with visual representations. They further discussed the major concerns of the residents of the island, including soil erosion from the eastern coast, road development to solve flooding issues and scarcity of fresh water due to contamination. They also expressed the need to renovate the historical monument at the island, Dhiyamigili Ganduvaru, and also discussed halted projects, including the construction of the football field and futsal field.
Several concerns were also raised during the meeting held with the senior officials and representatives of several Dhiyamigili institutions, such as improving the services and facilities provided by the health centre and expanding the island school. In addition, the officials and representatives also discussed solutions to the inadequacies in the electricity plant.
The president shared updates on the ongoing and future development plans that will have an impact on Dhiyamigili, such as the reforms proposed to the Decentralisation Act and stated the roles and responsibilities of the councillors would become even more critical. The president noted it would also create resources that will alleviate a large number of the concerns of the residents and that he would also share the concerns with the relevant ministries.