President Mohamed Nasheed has this morning visited and met with the people of Shaviyani Goidhoo.
Addressing the people of the island, President Nasheed said making visits to the islands was an opportunity to reflect on the government’s development plans for the islands.
President Nasheed highlighted the government’s policy to transfer the ownership of island electricity facilities to the provincial utilities companies. He said the inefficiencies of the way the island powerhouses were operated have been hindering the development of most of the islands.
Speaking in this regard, the President said operating all the powerhouses in the province by the provincial utilities company would give the company the advantages of large scale operations. As a result, the President said, the company could operate at a lower cost and charge a lower price for electricity.
Furthermore, he said when the system was fully established and pricing was standardised in the islands, the government would be able to subsidise the electricity bills of the needy in the same manner as the capital.
Before concluding, the President spoke on the government’s progress towards delivering the pledges of the government, and the resulting improvements in the people’s living standard.
