Vaavu atoll Council has raised concerns over the leasing of Bodufinolhu island for resort development, which is used as an excursion destination by tourists visiting the area.
Vaavu Atoll Council has raised concerns following the leasing of a lagoon used as an excursion destination by tourists visiting resorts or guest houses in the atoll for resort development.
President of Vaavu atoll Council, Sujau Ali stated that the coordinates revealed in the Ministry of Tourism's announcement on June does not align with the coordinates of Bodufinolhu. The Ministry had at the time given the coordinates, 3,33,5.470/72,29,59.619 which indicates the location of the nearby reef. However, the location currently leased by the Ministry for the development differs from the initial coordinates, with the island of Bodufinolhu now leased for the development of a resort, said Sujau.
"Even then [when the island was announced for resort development], we shared our concerns because these things are being done in violation of the Decentralization Act. The lagoon leased now is not the same as the reef announced then. Next to the reef in the coordinate is Bodufinolhu," said Sujau.
The acquisition cost of the Bodufinolhu lagoon stands at USD 729,000 (MVR 11.2 million).
Presently, nearly 600 beds are located in over fifty guesthouses operated in Vaavu atoll, with these figures rising to 1,500 with the inclusion of resorts.
The atoll council, together with those in the tourism sector are collaborating to initiate a protest against the leasing of Bodufinolhu.
The project to develop a resort in the lagoon was assigned to the President of the Guest House Association, Abdulla Nasheed's company, Kaani Hotels. Nasheed said today he had leased the location at the price announced by the State and revealed that he also owns the documents awarding him the lagoon.
Nasheed had additionally declared his intention to build a four star resort in the lagoon. Kaani Hotels has developed four guesthouses with 200 beds in Kaafu atoll Maafushi, situated 27km south of the capital, Male' City and has been offering their services in the island to both locals and tourists alike since 2012.
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