The Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has suspended harbour projects on four islands over the lack of construction material.
The government-owned public company said in a press release today that construction has stalled in Noonu Manadhoo, Shaviyani Komandoo, Raa Ungoofaru and Faafu Feeali as the remaining work required reinforcement rock boulders or conglomerate.
“Continuing such large projects while conglomerate is not available from India has resulted in a more than 100 percent increase in the price of materials as well as many logistical difficulties,” the press release stated.
It added that the company won the bids for the harbour projects based on the prices of construction material available from India at the time.
“In the past three months, the company has tried in various ways to purchase aggregate. At the same time, the company is also working with all the institutions involved in this matter to speedily resolve this issue,” the press release concluded.
On February 15 this year, the Indian government revoked a special quota afforded to the Maldives for the import of aggregate and river sand. The move led to a shortage of the supply of construction material and subsequent rising costs for construction companies.
The Indian government’s decision followed a diplomatic row with Maldives over the current administration’s termination of a concession agreement with Indian infrastructure GMR to upgrade and develop the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).
In December last year, Indian authorities also tightened visa restrictions for providing medical visas to Maldivians, leading to people queuing outside the Indian High Commission to obtain visas to travel for medical treatment.
In some instances, local people complained of queuing for over 24 hours outside the High Commission’s building in Male’ to try and get a limited number of daily tokens.
(0)Dislikes
(1)Related Posts
Projects awarded to MTCC increases fourfold- MTCC to resume harbour projects after obtaining construction materials
- MTCC to build docking terminal in Thilafushi
- Half of Maldives resort workers sign petition for US$600 minimum wage
- MDP MP appeals for Indian pressure to release Nasheed
- Maldives considered GMR buyout, but lacked funds
Why is India being blamed for material shortage? India is not the only country in world that sells this or near to Maldives. I don't see India stopping them to buy these from Lanka, China or any other country. If bid winning companies fixed their prices based on Indian prices - they should go ahead and renegotiate with authorities "ab initio". BTW why is visa issue being dragged in this news? At least Maldivians don't have to surrender their passports when they land in India.
Oh dear.......the price of building materials has shot up.......whatever shall we poor Maldivians do now?
Well, buy your building materials from your friends in China, Sri Lanka or better still from your sunni brothers in Pakistan. Who is stopping you?
Why the hell do we Indian taxpayers have to subsidise the cost of everything in Maldives?
We live in inflationery times and hopefully the cost of Indian foodstuffs and medicines will skyrocket too.
May allah have mercy on you...........
It's a shame to hear a much needed project is stopped due to a shortage of aggregate material. Hopefully there can be a quick restoration of aggregate supply, or an increase in aggregate production!
Oh My My...How sad? How can India, which is depending on Maldives, for its progress can do such a thing as banning the export of Aggregates etc? They should not now dare to Ban Exports of Eggs/Onions etc? Else they might incur the wrath of Maldives and India's Progress will be afflicted.
So...Lo and Behold....India..Immediately lift the Ban on Exports of Aggregates etc and do not even contemplate banning of export of Eggs etc.
Cheers
India.....which has one of the fastest growing economies in the world.....has no need for small insignificant markets like the Maldives for its goods.
In my opinion the export of medicines, foodstuffs and all building materials to Maldives should also cease.....get your eggs from Pakistan.....your onions from Saudi Arabia.....and your aggregate from Somalia.
We have an internal market of 1200,000,000 people which means WE DON'T NEED YOU AT ALL.
Get the message MS?
Miss India..am an Indian as well....Strange that you missed my Sarcasm
But Miss India..What grudge you always have about Pak, Saudi etc. Like I said..I am an Indian based abroad (not in Maldives) but I always find that your diatribe is not directed at only Maldives but somehow you manage to drag the other Countries also into the issue.
MS,Guess what those other countries have in common with Dhivehistan. It begins with an I and ends with an M.
Yes, imperialism. Dhivehistan follows its Arab masters. So why beg from cow-worshippers and Jesuits? They can import sand from Saudi Arabia just like they import Wahhabism. Saudi Arabia has lots of both.
Mordis will learn how bitter reality is.
Mordis must learn to respect others. Other religions. Mordis is not Saudi. We do not have oil wealth, yet most Mordisians have the Arabian mentality. Treat every other religion with contempt and demean all neighbouring countrymen.
I am a Mordisian, and I hate the mentality of ignorant men who think they can fly to heaven by licking clean the butts of their Arabian masters.
@ MS
Namastey to you and all the desis who visit this site...........
Isn't the anti indian, anti american, anti israel, anti christian, anti anybody who is not a sunni muslim crap you read on this site absolutely infuriating?
All indians are supposed to be uneducated, living in abject poverty and desperate to take up crap low paid jobs in the primitives atolls of Maldives.....have your passport confiscated when you arrive and get bashed up by local savage tribes like in Kumundhoo.
I do vent my spleen against certain countries.....all sunni majority countries.....these countries not only discriminate against other muslims (shias, ahmaddiyas, sufis because they are not 'real' muslims) but constantly brainwash their drug addicted youth with their hate filled religious theology into believing they are the only people who matter on this planet and the rest of us 'kuffars' are garbage.
1 hindu woman = 10 muslim men
@ MissIndia NewDelhi : LOL...you hate maldivians and yet you spend your entire day reading this and commenting shit. LOl. and double LOL. your life is pathetic!! thank god i'm not one of those useless indians such as you!! you definitely must be one of those who is always looking to be hired, but never hired!
and you think with such comments as below, you are the saviour??
"...but constantly brainwash their drug addicted youth with their hate filled religious theology ..."
Miss India...I am an Indian and I am a Muslim. Sometimes your comments are off tangent. Admitted there are arrogant maldivians but there are good maldivians as well. Just like in India or anywhere else in the World... You have the Rapists as well as Good Samaritans.
From the amount of Venom you are spewing on..it sounds more like you are disappointed with something which you did not get from out of Maldives.
And like Nix said..how on earth do you get time to read and comment every day.
we are manufacturer of waterproofing material for construction and export major to India, just wonder why Maldivian prefer to source from India when they can directly buy from us?
Greenseal Products (M) Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian company.