The spokesperson at the President's Office, Miuvan Mohamed has stated that the government will not treat the contractor of the Greater Male' Connectivity Project while penalizing them for the destruction of the Villimale' reef.

Miuvan made the statement after a journalist had quizzed him on whether the government was going to seek damages and penalize Afcons, an Indian contractor in-charge of the connectivity project. A self-raising platform had recently runs ground on the Vilimale reef, causing extensive damage to the reef as confirmed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Photos publicized by the agency showed debris around the reef, and massive craters which seemed quite. deep.

Answering the question. Miuvan highlighted that the case is being looked into by EPA and that the agency will be the ones who will be penalizing the contractor as necessary. He assured that EPA would remain free of any government influence in their decision-making.

The project is being funded by a USD 400 million loan from India's Axim Bank and a USD 100 million grant by India.