President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that Malé and Ras Malé will be connected via an underwater tunnel. He made the remarks while addressing the oath-taking ceremony of the Malé City Council’s newly elected Mayor and councilors held last night at Dharubaaruge.
The President detailed that the underwater tunnel connecting Malé and Ras Malé would entail a railway on which tourists can observe the underwater beauty, adding that this new infrastructure project would contribute immensely to the tourism industry.
The President stated that the Administration had already begun working on the feasibility studies for the project and that it would seek potential developers with the technical capacity to build the tunnel.
What attracted the skepticism was the President's remarks that this tunnel would be the first of its kind. Many took to social media to point out that such tunnels that run underwater have already been built across the globe.
Former Defense Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi pointed out on X that the UK, where President Muizzu completed his higher studies, has an underwater tunnel connecting it to France. She went on to insinuate that the President was trying to dupe the public with this promise.
While members of the opposition MDP questioned the phrase 'first of its kind', members of the public went to the basics and questioned why the Maldives needed such an extravagant project when its citizens were barely making ends meet.
