The Mayor of Male', Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has revealed that the recommencement of roadwork in Male' city was pending because of the government's continued delay in approving the project and releasing the approved budget.
Speaking on the 'Khabarah Fahu' programme on SanguTV, the Mayor said that the Council had come under a lot of criticism over the failure to repair and upgrade the city's roads.
The Mayor said that they wanted people to know the truth, and that work was not being done simply because of the government's arrogance and refusal to release the budget.
The MCC's contractor for the repairing and upgrading of the city's roads is the Road Development Corporation (RDC) - a government-owned company. RDC had recently said that work on Ameenee Magu would begin soon, and that delays were being faced as a result of the MCC's failure to lay the groundwork for the project. Dr. Muizzu denied the accusation, stating that it was an absolute lie. He assured that the MCC was ready to start as soon as the government released the allocated budget and gave the go-ahead for the resumption of work. He expressed his disappointment that the RDC should resort to such lies to paper ovet the government's continued policy of cold-shouldering the MCC on political grounds.
"It is the people who are suffering. These lies are designed to incite hatred against us, but we will ensure that the people are always informed. The facts are in front of the people. We can start work tomorrow if the government stop holding onto the budget. We have a history of roadworks that this government cannot compete with. We have the manpower and expertise. All we need is the government to step aside and stop politicising this issue."
The Mayor noted that the arrangement with RDC dates back to his predecessor's term, and that work had dragged on well beyond the initial estimate of two years. "We are keen on moving forward and completing the task in the shortest possible time, but need the government to allow us to do our work", Dr. Muizzu added.