India 'committed' to working with Maldives for speedy implementation of flagship infra project

Male: India on Monday said it is committed to working closely with the Government of Maldives for the speedy implementation of the Male to Thilafushi link project, the largest-ever infrastructure project in the island nation.

The Male to Thilafushi Link project, popularly known as the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), is a USD 530 million infrastructure project aimed at establishing a direct link between the capital city of the Maldives and Thilafushi, an island located in the South Indian Ocean.

A high-level meeting to monitor the progress of the India-assisted Male to Thilafushi link project was held here on Monday, officials said.

"The 10th Joint Project Monitoring Committee meeting of the Greater Male Connectivity -- Male to Thilafushi link project was held today," The Maldives' Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure said in a post on X, sharing some photographs of the meeting.

The meeting was co-chaired by Construction and Infrastructure Minister Abdulla Muththalib and Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar, it said.

The High Commission of India in Maldives in a tweet said, "We remain committed to working closely with the Government of Maldives for speedy implementation of this flagship, transformational development cooperation project, which is being built with highly concessional credit and USD 100 million grant support from India."

The project, which involves the construction of a bridge or a tunnel connecting Male and Thilafushi, is being executed by Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, a firm of Indian conglomerate Shapoorji Pallonji Group, and is funded by the Exim Bank of India under the Indian grant and Line of Credit (LoC) scheme.

The project is expected to improve transportation and connectivity between the two islands, as well as provide new opportunities for economic and social development.

Monday's meeting assumes significance following the change of government in the Maldives in November last year.

Soon after taking oath as the President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu, who is regarded as a pro-China leader, formally requested India to withdraw its 88 military personnel from his country by March 15. The new government is also reviewing more than 100 bilateral agreements signed with India by the previous government.