The Maldives government awarded the creation of a master plan for iHavan, the integrated project to be operated in the northernmost Ihavandhippolhu atoll of the Maldives, to a major Singapore firm on Tuesday.
The iHavan master plan, which is to be completed within four months, was awarded to Surbana Jurong Pvt Ltd at a ceremony held at Hulhule Island Hotel, where economic minister Mohamed Saeed and Surbana Jurong’s managing director of urban planning and design Philip YM Tan signed the agreement.
The government has not yet disclosed the expense for the master plan.
According to Surbana’s presentation, the iHavan master plan will be carried out in three stages. A delegation from Surbana will visit Ihavandhippolhu to discuss proceedings with authorities in the first week, followed by data collection on the region’s current condition and revision of its feasibility report over the next four weeks. The company will put together iHavan’s concept master plan and subsequent detailed master plan during the final week.
The collaborative project between the Maldives’ economic ministry and Surbana Jurong will be conducted by three crews with an urban planning and designing team, transport and infrastructure team, and a landscape and environmental team.
Speaking at the ceremony, Surbana Jurong’s CEO for South Asia and Middle East, Dr Uma Maheswaran described the process of creating a master plan as transcending the boundaries of pen and paper to the formation of intimate connections with their clients. He vowed that the firm will put together a perfect master plan for the Maldives, drawing on its varied learnings and experiences from different corners of the world.
Meanwhile, economic minister Mohamed Saeed highlighted the global economic importance of the northernmost channel of the archipelago where iHavan will be developed.
Minister Saeed said that the master plan will determine the area of land to be reclaimed for iHavan, as well as other technical details such as the locations and sizes of the airport, industrial port and yacht harbour. He added that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the area will also be conducted with the master plan.
Noting the various development projects ongoing in all corners of the Maldives, the minister finally urged the public to recognise and support the government’s efforts, which he declared are in the best interests of the people.
Surbana Jurong is a state run Singaporean company operating 95 offices in 40 countries. The urban planning and design firm has undertaken major projects around the world, including the master plan for a financial centre in Rwanda, development of Amaravati as the state capital of India’s Andhra Pradesh state, and development of Myanmar’s international port and industrial zone.
Meanwhile, Boston Consultancy Group of the United States had conducted the feasibility plan of iHavan, green lighting the Maldives to go ahead with the project. The government had earlier stated that they will commence the project’s land reclamation phase in coming December.
The iHavan integrated project comprises of the development of harbours and ports, the production, processing and storage of cargo, an international cruise facility, airport and real estate.
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