Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib is currently in India to attend the 12th Joint Project Monitoring Committee meeting for the Greater Male' Connectivity Project, the ThilaMale' Bridge.
Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib is currently in India to attend the 12th Joint Project Monitoring Committee meeting for the Greater Male' Connectivity Project, the ThilaMale' Bridge.
The meeting held in Mumbai yesterday is the first meeting held by the committee.
The Ministry said that technical and strategic discussions on the project were held during the meeting which was chaired by Indian Ambassador to the Maldives Munu Mahawar. They said that the objective of the meeting is to ensure the project is completed on target.
State Ministers Ibrahim Thoaam Mohamed and Ismail Hameed, as well as technical teams from the Ministry and senior of officials of the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Foreign Affairs also joined the meeting.
Senior officials from India's Ministry of External Affairs, EXIM Bank of India, consultants and contractor representatives were also present.
On this trip, the Minister also conducted a site visit to Mumbai's Adit Tunnel, the start of the 7.1kn underwater tunnel for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail.
Discussions were held on prospective technologies that can be utilized in Maldives' infrastructure development, the Ministry said.
According to the ministry, the bridge is currently at 43.59% completion, with the Male' to Gulhifalhu sector slated to be completed by 31st March 2026, and Gulhifalhu to Thilafushi sector expected to reach completion by 30th September 2026.
The ThilaMale' Bridge is projected to cost USD 500 million (MVR 7.7 billion). These amounts are reached through USD 400 million dollars given through line of credit from India's Exim Bank and a grant of USD 100 million dollars from the Government of India.
The 6.7 km bridge will carry a dual two lane highway. Besides this, a three meter wide lane on the north side of the bridge will be dedicated solely to pedestrians and cyclists.
The south side of the bridge will accommodate a 3.5 meter wide utility corridor for data lines, water supplies and high voltage electricity lines.