MVR 4 million due for electricity by ECC

It has come to light that the Equatorial Convention Centre (ECC) constructed by former President Mohamed Nasheed’s government in Addu City has over MVR 4 million as unpaid electricity bills.

In an interview to Sun Online today, Head of Southern Utilities Company which provides electricity to Addu City, Abdullah Zuhair said that ECC had not paid any electricity bill since it was opened and that currently, over MVR 4 million is owed for electricity by the centre.

He said that Finance Ministry and Housing Ministry have been requested on several occasions to pay this money, but no positive response has been received.

Mayor of Addu City Addu City Abdullah Sodig said that the council was informed of the unpaid electricity bills of ECC, and that these bills have to be paid by Finance Ministry.

“We have received information that ECC has unpaid electricity bills. But there’s nothing that the council can do about this, because ECC is not under the council. It’s under Housing Ministry,” Sodig said.

An official of Housing Ministry said that discussions are under way with Finance Ministry regarding ECC’s unpaid electricity bills.

Mayor Sodig further said that there are several problems associated with ECC besides the one of unpaid electricity bills, and that no system has been established to monitor the centre. He said that as a result, ECC could end up in ruins.

“The problem of unpaid electricity is not the only problem faced by ECC. There is no system to clean and monitor the centre either. The equipment that was initially taken there is also no longer there. The only things that remain are tables and chairs. We fear that the place might end up in ruins,” Sodig said.

He said that people earlier expected that ECC would bring progress and development for Addu City.

“We had high hope associated with ECC. We hoped that Addu City would be proud of ECC, that it would increase job opportunities for Addu City. But we don’t have much hope left now for these things,” he said.

He said that the biggest problem is the lack of an inventory after the SAARC Summit, and that this was due to the negligence of the government and relevant authorities.

Over MVR150 million was spent on the construction of ECC in Addu City by the government of former President Nasheed for the 17th SAARC Summit.