The minister said that Hanimaadhoo already has a deep lagoon, so fuel could be brought in by barge and that there is no reason for a vessel to remain offshore with a separate boat supplying fuel.
Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib has said that a fuel jetty built by the previous government in Haa Dhaalu atoll Hanimaadhoo is "useless."
Dr Muththalib, along with three other ministers, discussed the administration's achievements over the past year on state media PSM’s "Hafthaa 52" programme last night.
Muththalib criticised the previous government for allowing the Economic Development Ministry to tender major projects, bypassing the Ministry of Infrastructure. Among these projects, he highlighted the Hanimaadhoo Airport project, Gan Airport, and the Felivaru fish factory project.
He said the previous administration developed facilities without consulting technical experts from the relevant ministries, resulting in impractical infrastructure. For instance, he noted that a one-kilometre fuel jetty in Hanimaadhoo was built at a cost of USD 15 million, which he said had been unnecessary.
“What had been done is tender, find contractors, and delegate the signing to a state owned enterprise (SOE). But these projects lack input from the technical staff of relevant ministries,” he said.
“Hanimaadhoo already has a deep lagoon, so fuel could be brought in by barge rather than needing a one-kilometre jetty. There is no reason for a vessel to remain offshore with a separate boat supplying fuel.”
Muththalib added that the government had attempted to retrieve the costly jetty but said that that it could incur significant losses to the state as the work had progressed lot.
"The previous government was determined to proceed with these projects, regardless of the challenges or implications," the minister said.
He also criticized the handling of the Giraavaru Falhu land reclamation project, noting that it had been entrusted to the Maldives Fund Management Corporation.
He said the company received an advance of MVR 7.5 million and an additional MVR 10 million during the second round of elections, yet work has stalled despite government funding.
Muththalib said that the previous government's actions were not in good faith as they lacked coordination with the relevant ministries.
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