Sunday
22nd Dec 2024
Dhivehi Edition
The coconut cart being operated by the Regional Airports Company
The Regional Airports Company Limited, established by the government in 2020 to manage regional airports, has set up a coconut cart in Hanimaadhoo (Haa Dhaalu Atoll) to increase the company's revenue.
The cart, called "Thoshali", was set up last December. The small cart sells coconut products, paan, and soft drinks.
An employee of the Company told The Maldives Journal that the idea for the cart had been thought up by the Company's Managing Director, Mohamed Rizvi.
"This was the MD's idea. The MD's vision is to set up carts like these in every airport managed by the Company", said the employee.
A source from Hanimaadhoo told The Maldives Journal that three employees have been dedicated to staff the cart. The employees' mandate includes foraging for coconuts in the forest.
"Those are the best three employees at that airport. In addition to their regular duties, they now have to attend to the cart", said the source.
The Company's commercial team occasionally travel to Hanimaadhoo under the pretext of promoting the cart. The cart's revenues have not yet been able to make up for their travel costs.
Several officials of the Regional Airports Company Limited see the cart as "a joke".
"It's shameful that a company that owns several billion Rufiyaa in assets ends up selling snacks. There are other things that the Company can do", said an employee on the condition of anonymity.
The Company's Managing Director, Mohamed Rizvi is a relative of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Similarly, Moosa Solih who had been appointed as a consultant to the Company, is President Solih's uncle. Both Rizvi and Solih are key figures in setting up the cart.