Protesters in Addu City demand immediate work on link road

Residents of Addu City began a protest today demanding that construction work on the Addu City link road, which has suffered significant damage due to large potholes, be carried forward. The work to develop the link roads connecting the islands of Addu was entrusted last year to the government company RDC. However, last month, the government transferred the work to Chinese firm Rotim Engineering & Technology in order to expedite progress. Addu City Deputy Mayor Mohamed Shuaau told Sun that because practical work on the link road has been delayed, youth in the city are leading the protests. Demonstrators are calling for the road construction to begin as soon as possible and, if responsibilities cannot be fulfilled, for the resignation of the President and the constituency PNC members. In videos of the protest circulating on social media, people describe driving on the link road as feeling like driving through a swamp or a rice field, and say expensive vehicles have been ruined. Protesters expressed concern that the government is not listening to their complaints and that although a budget is allocated every year for building the link road, no visible work is being done. Participants noted that the link road is connected to Addu's economy and serves a population of approximately 30,000 people traveling. Currently, they said, one cannot drive faster than 20 kilometers per hour on the road. Protesters have also raised concerns about the difficulties faced by people who are forced to arrive late for their duties because of the poor road condition. The Addu Link Road is a highway that connects the interconnected islands of Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, and Feydhoo via land routes. The approximately 16-kilometer-long link road has been entrusted to the Chinese company with the aim of completing it within one year.