The government of India has decided to extend a financial package of USD 500 million for the Greater Male’ Connectivity Project.
The financial package was announced during a digital video conference held on August 13 between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives Abdulla Shahid and Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The financial package includes both grants and loans.
The Greater Malé Connectivity Project will connect Malé, Villingili, Thilafushi and Gulhifalhu, via bridges and causeways of total length of 6.695 kilometers. Once completed, the project will be the single largest infrastructure project in the Maldives.
Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure had earlier revealed the reclamation of land from Gulhifalhu which is required for the project and the necessary surveys are currently ongoing. The survey component of the project was handed over to a foreign company on March 5 for a cost of USD 15 million. The component includes the surveying of 28 boreholes extracted from land and sea.