ACC requests to halt Male

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has requested all relevant government offices to halt all work under the agreement made with India’s Tatva Global.

Tatva Global was awarded a MVR49.2-million project for Male’-area waste management last year by Male’ City Council.

The agreement made with Tatva Global is currently under review by the Ministry of Environment as well.

President of ACC Hassan Luthfee said today that the Commission had received complaints

regarding the agreement signed by City Council and Tatva Global, and thus requested Thilafushi Corporation Limited (TCL) and STELCO to halt signing further agreements with Tatva Global, as the complaints are currently under investigation by the ACC.

Managing Director of TCL Mohamed Latheef said that TCL received a letter from ACC today, requesting to halt signing of the ancillary agreements with Tatva Global as required by the main agreement.

He noted that the agreement made with Tatva Global stipulates that a 2,000,000 sq ft area should be given to Tatva Global for free, inclusive of land and sea, for a period of 20 years.

“We are also concerned over this issue. Our company will suffer a loss of about MVR1 billion if we sign this agreement. I don’t think such an agreement should have been made, which would require us to give them our land,” he said.

Sun Online has learned that the government is currently under pressure to commence the project without making any changes to the agreement.

City Council has said earlier that Tatva Global is ready to commence the project, and that it is being delayed because the government has to complete the necessary procedures.

The government said that this agreement would result in a loss of MVR1 billion to the government alone.

The lack of a secure waste management system in Thilafushi has resulted in deterioration of the environment condition in Male’ area. Efforts to establish a proper waste management system in this area have so far not been successful.