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Government decisions following fire tragedy sluggish: Opposition

The opposition coalition of Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and People's National Congress (PNC) have claimed the decisions and actions by the administration following the raging fire on Friday were sluggish.

Speaking at a press conference, Vice President of PPM and former Housing Minister Dr. Mohamed Muizzu stated the hybrid system installed by the previous administration could have been used for a swifter action to control the fire.

Muizzu also demanded an investigation to check the reasons on why the system was not used to control the most damaging of the fires in the capital. He raised concerns as the administration actions were slow in responding to the fatal fire. He also criticized the administration for the delay in making the decision to request the fire truck at Velana International Airport (VIA) to the scene.

Highlighting the need for foam to extinguish chemical-induced fires, he stated the fire was controlled within ten minutes after fire lorry was brought.

Meanwhile, Vice President of PNC Adam Shareef Umar also criticized the administration at the press conference. The parliamentarian condemned President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's decision to travel to the US to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during such a tragedy in Maldives.

Adam Shareef reiterated it is the responsibility of the head of state to ensure assistance to the victims of the fire and staying in the country is important during a time of such grief. He explained numerous efforts were put in the previous administration to monitor storage of flammables in residential places. He further explained the previous administration took measures to mitigate the possible impact of accidents. He also highlighted Male' Industrial Zone was the permanent solution for removal of warehouses from residential areas.

The opposition concluded the press conference with the announcement of a telethon to assist the victims of the tragic fire incident.