Housing and Urban Development Minister Dr. Ali Haider Ahmed said that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) would be granted full access to the landlord portal within a week. This move aims to facilitate the investigation of issues related to the list of 4,000 flat recipients announced by the previous government.
Minister Haider informed the Parliamentary Petitions Committee that the issue concerning the lists of flats announced by the administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was on hold at the ministry while the ACC was conducting its investigation.
Minister Haider said that the flat list of the previous government would be handled based on the advice of the ACC. He added that the decision on whether the list should be re-evaluated or not would be made after receiving guidance from the ACC.
He said that the flat list issued under the government's housing scheme would not be cancelled. However, to safeguard the rights of the initial 4,000 flat recipients, the flats will be allocated to the rightful recipients.
Amidst mounting allegations that some of the initial 4,000 recipients were ineligible and that points were awarded against the regulations, the ACC directed the ministry to cease the allocation of flats to recipients. The ministry has been directed not to proceed with any efforts to allot flats until the commission completes its investigation into the matter.
During yesterday's committee meeting, the ACC stated that the investigation into the case was facing delays due to a lack of access to the "Gedhoruveriyaa Portal," which was created for applying for government housing projects.
The minister, however, said that the process of granting access was currently underway.
"They [ACC] sent a letter with certain conditions for access. It's to ensure that we don't have access so that they can perform specific tasks. The portal was developed by a group of developers. As changes need to be made to the portal, it takes a few days to implement those adjustments," Haider said.
"I think the work will be completed within a week. When the work is completed, they will have full access."
According to the ACC, there are serious issues with the flat list, including:
• Conditions being met for individuals with documentation stating that they are employed and reside in islands.
• Points being awarded incorrectly to individuals with no children.
According to the policy for the allocation of flats under the housing scheme, the eligibility criteria for applicants state that the applicant or the main applicant must have been living in the city for 15 years without interruption.
While the new government is preparing a 15-year plan for housing, the policy aims to establish a comfortable environment for people to reside and thrive.
Housing Minister Haider informed the committee yesterday that instead of selecting people individually for housing projects, the government has opted to create a "waiting list" for those in immediate need of housing.
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