The government on Wednesday broke ground on the local councils building project in Maduvvaree, Raa Atoll.
The government on Monday had awarded the contract to construct council secretariats on 55 islands to Malaysia’s Hextar Global Sdn. Bhd.
Minister of Cities, Local Government and Public Works, Adam Shareef Umar broke ground on the new two-storey council building of Maduvvaree to officially kick-start the landmark project.
The ceremony was witnessed by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu who arrived on the island on Wednesday as part of his ongoing three-day tour of several islands of Raa Atoll.
Speaking to PSM News after the ceremony, Maduvvaree Island Council President Mohamed Sodiq described the initiative as a much needed boost to the development and progress of the island.
He explained that the current council building is decades old and space limitations had prevented the council from recruiting more staff under the new human resource structure.
"I would like to thank the President for making Maduvvaree, the first island to break ground on this office building project. With the new building, the council members will have individual offices and separate units to manage administrative functions. It will also boast a conference hall, which we can rent out to generate some revenue,” Sodiq explained.
When the Ministry opened the opportunity for local councils to apply for council building reconstruction, it deemed 102 councils of the applicants as eligible following assessments. Of these, the construction of 55 councils was awarded to Nextar to be completed within two years and six months.
The Ministry’s assessments found that 187 councils face significant space constraints and resource shortages. In addition to the 55 councils being constructed by Nextar company, the government plans to rebuild an additional 50 council secretariats with assistance from the Chinese government.
The government aims to rebuild all run-down council buildings within its current term.