Malé City Council urged to suspend licences of unsafe construction firms

The Malé City Council has been asked to introduce tough measures, including suspending the licences of construction companies that repeatedly carry out work without proper safety precautions. The proposal was submitted during an official public meeting of the Malé City Council by Hussain Frushan, councillor for the Maafannu Uthuru constituency. Frushan said serious public safety concerns have emerged following a series of incidents at construction sites in Malé. He highlighted an incident in Chaandhanee Magu where a stone slab that fell from a building under construction narrowly missed a person. He also noted that in Henveiru, concrete work carried out without council permission caused cement to splash onto motorcycles and other parts of the road. He asked the council to introduce strict measures, including suspending licences issued to repeat violators and unsafe construction sites. He said suspended permits should only be restored after corrective measures are implemented and the sites are surveyed. Mayor Adam Azim said construction without permits and unauthorised alterations to buildings have become widespread, and that he considers the proposal important for the safety of residents. He requested that the matter be referred as soon as possible to the council’s Urban and Planning Committee for study. The council noted that unsafe construction has previously caused objects to fall and resulted in the loss of lives.