The foundation laying ceremony for the Thilamale’ bridge is set to be held concurrently in India and the Maldives.
The official ceremony will be held in the capital of India, New Delhi, during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s upcoming visit to the country. According to the President’s Spokesperson Mabrook Azeez, the event will be livestreamed.
A landmark project being carried out with assistance from the Indian government, the Thilamale’ Bridge is expected to bring about several improvements to the country’s economy. It has been given a USD 400 million line of credit and the Indian government has given further grant aid of MVR 100 million. The bridge, crossway and roads being made under this project are expected to span across 6.7 kilometres, while the connecting roads between the bridge and islands will have traffic lights and bus stations.
The project has been handed over to Afcon Infrastructure Limited, an experienced Indian company with over 60 years’ of involvement in constructing bridges and roads within India and other countries. The company is targeting to finish the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) within the next 2 years.
The country is expecting to see major improvements to the economy upon the completion of this project as well as the international harbour project in Gulhifalhu. Once the project has been completed, the warehouses in Male’ will be moved to the Thilafushi/Gulhifalhu area. Consequently, the capital city of Male’ will be seeing major transformations. The current government has plans to create more land space to provide housing for people, which is also expected to help with traffic issues in Male’.
