President Muizzu’s grand vision for the Rasmale’ city project is facing serious setbacks, casting doubt on the promises made about its timely completion. According to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, the reclamation of the Fushidhiggaru lagoon—a key part of this flagship project—won’t be finished by the second deadline that President Muizzu announced.
When the project was launched on December 18 last year, President Muizzu confidently promised that the reclamation would be completed within eight months. But that deadline came and went on August 18, with only one section of Rasmale’ reclaimed by that time.
In the lead-up to the August deadline, President Muizzu acknowledged the delay and announced that the project would need an additional eight months, pushing the completion date to March 26, 2025. This new deadline was revealed during the Independence Day ceremony.
However, the EIA report paints a different picture. It indicates that the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the state-owned entity managing the project, expects it to take a full 18 months—or until March 3, 2026—to reclaim the 256 hectares spread across seven new sites. This significantly extends the project’s timeline.
The Rasmale’ project involves reclaiming over 1,150 hectares of the Fushidhiggaru lagoon in total. According to the EIA, work on these new sites was supposed to start last month, but so far, nothing has begun.
Initially, the reclamation work was awarded to Capital Marine and Civil Construction (CMCC), which was tasked with reclaiming 10 hectares from Hulhumale’ and another 60 hectares from the lagoon. The land involved in this deal is valued at MVR 45 billion. Despite these high stakes, the agreement with CMCC was eventually terminated.
President Muizzu had assured the public that this massive project would move forward without costing the state budget a single rufiyaa. The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) allocated MVR 77 million to reclaim the first 27 hectares of land under the Rasmale’ project. But as the initial plan faltered, HDC had to take out a large loan to keep the project alive. The land reclamation is now being handed over to an Indian company and a Chinese company.
These ongoing delays and the shifting of responsibilities highlight growing concerns about the feasibility of President Muizzu’s ambitious promises. As the project continues to face challenges, it’s unclear whether the new contractors will be able to meet the revised deadlines and deliver on the expectations set by the president.
