The Malé City Council is obstructing the government's planned market complex project in Malé by refusing to hand over necessary land, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said, expressing deep concern over the impasse during the second episode of 'The Pulse' podcast series. Addressing efforts to advance the fishing sector, President Muizzu noted that the fish market's current condition is exceptionally poor, though Malé has one of the highest concentrations of fishermen.
Four months after the project was awarded, practical work has yet to begin because the city council continues to impede progress by refusing to clear and release the designated land. "The council has yet to relinquish the designated land," President Muizzu remarked, adding that by repeatedly citing various excuses, they have completely failed to present a viable path forward for this initiative.
Because Malé is home to so many fishermen, this USD 8.19 million initiative stands as a critical public work. Temporary arrangements will accommodate commercial vendors presently doing business on the site, allowing construction to begin swiftly toward an official completion target of December 10 of next year.
Conceived as a state-of-the-art facility rising to six storeys with a spatial capacity over 95,000 and 455 dedicated kiosks, the complex will consolidate the traditional fish, local, and travellers' markets into a single, unified structure, bringing substantial commercial relief to the congested district while entirely transforming the visual skyline.