ThilaMale' Bridge construction behind schedule: Minister Muththalib

The ThilaMale' Bridge - connecting Male', ViliMale', GulhiFalhu and Thilafushi - is currently behind schedule, Minister of Construction and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib has said.

While the agreed completion date with India's AFCONs to complete work on the bridge has passed, only 29 percent of the bridge had been completed by the end of last year. With failure to meet the deadline, former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration had entered into a supplementary agreement with AFCONs on their last day in office, granting an extension.

With work having proceeded under this agreement, 45.82 percent of the work has now been completed.

In a press conference held at the President's Office yesterday, Minister Muththalib said that AFCONs work has been delayed beyond the schedule the company had set for themselves by 2 percent.

"Sometimes, the contractor has cited bad weather and rough seas as reasons for delays. Although it does not seem majorly delayed, it should be noted that some critical work is not proceeding at the speed we want," he said.

"As such, deep sea piling work is not being progressed at the speed we want. Hence, we have informed them that we do not accept their reasoning of rough seas as a cause for delays and a chance to seek additional time," he said.

Muththalib stated that the 30 month period proposed for completion of the bridge was not suggested by the government. That was an assurance provided by the contractor themselves, he said. Hence, the Minister maintains that work should be completed within this duration, and said that the agreement, too, states that extensions cannot be granted for reasons such as rough seas.

He said that discussions are ongoing with both the company and the Government of India to expedite the work and meet the set timeline.

The previous government had signed the agreement for construction of the bridge on September 16, 2021 with the understanding that work is to be completed by May 17, 2024. On the last day of that administration, on November 16, 2023, a supplementary agreement had been signed, extending the deadline to September 30, 2026.

The Bridge, which will connect four separate islands, is being built in two parts. The Male' to GulhiFalhu connection is Section A, with the three islands agreed to be connected within 27 months initially. If work had gone to schedule, the section would have been completed by December 14 last year.

The supplementary agreement, however, extended the deadline for Section A as well to 54 months. At present, it is expected to reach completion before March 31, 2026. It was further agreed that the Male'-ViliMale' segment would be completed by December 21, 2025.

Section B is the connection between GulhiFalhu and Thilafushi. The initial time frame set for this was 32 months, which would have seen completion by May 27, 2024. The deadline for this was also extended to 65 months, with the new deadline falling on September 30, 2026.

The ThilaMale' Bridge is a USD 500 million (MVR 7.7 billion) project. This is covered through usd 400 million given under a line of credit by India's EXIM Bank and USD 100 million given by the Indian government as free aid.

The Minister assured that even if the agreement period is extended, the Maldives will not have to invest any further funds.