Malé City Council has received over MVR 700,000 in donations to its "Chaalu Miskiyh" fund; a two-day fundraising event initiated last weekend to raise money for the renovation of mosques in Malé city.
From the event held at Artificial Beach in Malé city, the council raised a total of MVR 313,397.90 by the end of the first day. The event concluded on Saturday, January 7 with a total collection of MVR 744,713.90.
The council said the government handed over the management of mosques to the council without giving it an adequate budget for repairs.
The state allocated MVR 1 million for repairs, both in 2021 and 2022. However, the city council said that they had to spend an additional MVR 10 million from its revenue budget on the renovation of mosques.
“While the council used MVR 10 million from its revenue budget for renovations, there are several mosques that still require repair work. The repairs are expected to cost MVR 9 million,” Male’ City Mayor, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Ahmed Zahir contested the council’s claims. According to Dr. Zahir, the council had not used the state allocated MVR 1 million in 2020.
According to the Decentralization Act, Malé City Council is required to maintain the mosques in Malé area. The council currently manages 34 mosques in Malé and Vilimalé.
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