Draw held among those changing lands from Giraavarufalhu to Gulhifalhu

The Maldives' government held a draw yesterday amongst over 2,000 people who requested to exchange the land they got from Giraavarufalhu to Gulhifalhu.

While a total of 2,210 people put in exchange requests, the entire draw was completed yesterday itself.

According to current plans, 193 land plots sized 1,250 square feet, 663 plots sized 1,650 square feet, 487 plots sized 2,050 square feet and 4 plots sized 2,450 square feet will be exchanged to Gulhifalhu.

However, there was no draw amongst those who requested to change their 2,050 square feet and 2,450 square feet lands to Gulhifalhu as the number of lands allocated for Gulhifalhu exceeds the number of people who applied.

The decision to move 1,347 land plots from Giraavarufalhu to Gulhifalhu was made last April, following changes brought to the Giraavarufalhu land use plan which resulted in less land plots being available on the island.

State Minister of the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development, Mohamed Dhilshan Abdulla, told 'Mihaaru' that 196 plots of 1,250 square feet and 583 plots sized 1,650 square feet were exchanged during yesterday's draw.

The next step, he said, would be to allocate the lands for those who did the swap to Gulhifalhu, after which the land registrations and agreements would be amended.

"Now the list of those who is being moved [to Gulhifalhu] is confirmed. And then we have to finalise the area from which they receive the plots in accordance with the land use plan. So that draw will also be held," he said.

The Gulhifalhu reclamation project was awarded to Netherland's Boskalis company during former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration on 17th October 2019. The project is valued at MVR 2 billion, to reclaim a total land area of 65 hectares.

However, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu added another 85 hectares to the project and included another 150 hectares in the second phase of the project. The reclamation of that area is ongoing.