Committee seeks amendment to grant city status to Thinadhoo

Parliament's Committee on Decentralization has decided submitting amendment to Section 51 of the Decentralization Act.

This amendment seeks to eliminate legal obstacles hindering the extension of the City Council status to Gaafu Dhaalu atoll Thinadhoo Island Council.

The previous administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih granted the status of a city to Thinadhoo, following which questions arose about the legal status of the island's council. The issue was subsequently presented to the parliament's decentralization committee.

The council said that it was addressed differently by various agencies, and shared the confusion regarding its budget and the remuneration of members as well as services falling under its discretion.

Initial discussions concluded with the committee identifying the council as a city council following the status change for Thinadhoo. The committee further held the status as a city council would sustain until conclusion of the term despite its status change mid term.

Parliament's Counselor General Fathimath Filza gave a contradicting legal opinion, adding the committee's decision was incorrect.

She argued that Section 51 of the Decentralization Act stipulates that the council would be identified from its original status despite a change in the status of the island mid term.

Section 51(c) amendment cites the legal status of a council would shift to a city council upon extension of a city status to the respective island if the term is longer than one year; with the term extending until the expiry of the island council's term. Section 51(d) states that the legal titles of the council's president and deputy president would change to mayor and deputy mayor respectively.

The rest of the provisions of the section deals with the discretion and services under the mandate of a city council once it receive the legal status as one.

The committee further said that the amendment to the act seeks to eliminate the confusion in interpreting the existing Act's relevant provision. The decision was approved unanimously by the committee.