Report: Soodh
The islanders of Noonu Miladhoo has yesterday surrounded and locked the Island office and island court. An informant from the island said that the island office was surrounded and locked yesterday morning at 7:30 after the islanders discussed the matter last Friday and unofficially informing the island chief that they would so this.
The informant said that the people had to do this as there had been no solution for the problems they are facing on inner lagoon, sewage system, electricity and water.
In 2006 October when the construction began at the harbor construction, it was informed that work would be completed within 5 months, but yet it had not been completed, he said. He also said that the small area which the work was completed had also been completely destroyed by now due to the waves and the government had tried to take away the equipment they brought to do the construction work.
“The government is saying that they want to complete the work of harbor very soon. But they are taking the equipments used. How could we believe that they are taking the equipments back if they want to speed up the work” he said.
He said that it had been so long since they have been complaining for a solution for the sewage system problems they are facing. He said that they would surely face various many health problems when 6 sewage systems have to be fit for a 150 sq feet land where there are 6 water wells. He said that the government had so far refused to build the sewage system of the island on the road.
“When Environment and water Minister Ahmed Abdullah visited the island early this year, we showed him the situation of our sewage system. He said he would look in to it. But since then, there had been no news from them” the angry islander said.
The informant from the island said that they face many problems in getting fresh water also. He said that Miladhoo did not get any black water tanks although water tanks had been distributed to all islands of Maldives and the government water tanks also could not be kept in the island due to some problem faced I allocating land for them. He said that they don’t get water in the hot season.
When looked into the situation of electricity in the island, he said that electricity was recently disconnected in the island for 2 weeks and the atoll chief did not even visit them within those two weeks. He said that the islander now could not even use a computer as electricity may go out at any time for the day and also frequently. He said that the island chief had done a lot of work to solve this problem.
The informant said that the members representing them at the People’s Majlis never helped them and there are neither answering their calls nor replying to their text messages.
There was no one in the island opposing the closure of the island office and even the fishermen who go for yellow fish tuna fisheries are also waiting in the island today, the informant said. He said that people are active, serving food and drinks for the other islanders and they have even sheltered the area near the office they are staying.
“Everyone is here. We have juice packets, food and even refrigerators are here” he said.
Noonu Niladho Island chief Mohamed Hassan, at the area said that he has nothing to say more than what the informant has said and said that there were no lies in what the informant said. The island chief said that he had informed the matter to the atoll office and the atoll office has told to open the island office and go on with paper work if the people want to solve the problems they are facing. But the island chief said that the people are refusing to open the island office unless high level government officials from the relevant ministries meet the islanders.
“Mohamed Ali said that he was in Maafaru, watching a football match. He said that he is working as according to the instructions by the Atolls ministry and he could not come to the island even though the people request. Then I asked whether he is there in Maafaru, watching a foot ball match after ignoring the problems at our island because the atolls ministry instructed so? He said that he has already said that he was working under the instructions from atolls ministry. I told him that I would give this information to media and he said that he had no problem with it”
Velidhoo News was unable to contact the atoll office on this matter.
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