Reclamation Works Resume on Rasmale’ Housing Project Following Months of Delay
Reclamation work on the Rasmale’ Project, the flagship housing initiative of the People’s National Congress (PNC) administration, resumed yesterday after being stalled for several months.
The physical reclamation of 1,153 hectares of land from K. Fushidhiggaru Falhu was initially launched on December 18 as part of the Rasmale’ Project. The administration had aimed to complete reclamation within eight months; however, the project experienced delays, halting progress until now.
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The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) confirmed the recommencement of work, announcing on X: “We are pleased to announce that we have resumed the reclamation work for Rasmalé Area F, marking another step forward in our community’s growth and development.” No additional details on the resumption were provided by HDC.
The original reclamation contract was awarded to Capital Marine and Civil Construction Company (CMC), based in Sri Lanka. According to the initial terms, CMC would cover the project costs in exchange for long-term leases on 70 hectares of reclaimed land, including 10 hectares from Hulhumale’ for 49 years and 60 hectares from Rasmale’ for 50 years. However, the contract was later cancelled by the administration, which expressed a preference for an alternative arrangement not involving land allocations in exchange for services.
During a visit to China in January, Housing Minister Dr. Ali Haidar announced that the government plans to construct 30,000 social housing units in Rasmale’ with Chinese support. The project has been allocated MVR 600 million in the 2025 budget, with an additional MVR 350 million proposed for 2026.
The Rasmale’ Project has faced opposition from the main opposition party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which argues that public funds would be better spent on completing the ‘Binveriya’ scheme. This programme has already allocated land to thousands of recipients in areas such as Hulhumale’, Gulhifalhu, and Giraavaru Falhu.
