Monday
18th Nov 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Workers of Afcons performing the ritual.
Addu road development project was inaugurated in a Hindu ritualistic ceremony, directing severe public outrage toward the government.
A video that went viral yesterday, showed Hindu rituals being performed to begin the ceremony and later breaking a coconut on the tar machine before project commencement.
The video showed them holding the coconut in two hands, bringing it up to the face and chest while chanting before it was broken on the machine. Later, the coconut water was sprinkled onto the machine to conclude that part of the ritual.
People came forward to criticize the government as well as the Indian company, AFCONS, responsible for the project. AFCONS is the same company contracted to complete the Thilafushi-Male’bridge.
The road development project in Addu, costing MVR 1.2 million, was financed through the MVR 800 million loan acquired from India’s Exim Bank. The government aspires to develop all the roads on the islands of Addu with proper drainage systems. AFCONS signed the agreement, to complete all the roads of Addu within two years, on February 18, 2021.
This was the first time people had witnessed such a ceremony being performed to kickstart a Maldivian project, causing a roar of outrage on social media once the video went viral.
Many people have claimed that Maldives is being puppeted by India since we already do everything as per the desires of the Indian government.People have argued that Maldivian subservience to the Indian government is evident in all aspects of the nation’s present.