Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Dr. Abdulla Muththalib has stated that a large number of projects have come to a standstill due to difficulties in obtaining rocks. The Minister made this statement while responding to a question from a member at today's Parliament sitting regarding the delays in land reclamation and harbor construction projects conducted by the government.

The Minister explained that the Maldives typically imports rocks from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, he noted that obtaining rocks and aggregate from the UAE has become difficult due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The Minister stated that the government is working to find a solution to the rock shortage. In this regard, he mentioned that efforts are underway to establish a mechanism to import rocks from India.

"We are working to proceed by establishing a way to bring rocks from India instead. In many islands of the Maldives, work has been unable to proceed due to the shortage of rocks," the Minister said.

While the Maldives already imports a significant amount of rocks from India, the country has recently arranged for rocks to be available at special rates.