Parliament has passed the Land Transport Bill today, transferring all matters related to land transport in the Malé region to a separate office operating under the Ministry of Transport.
The bill, submitted on behalf of the government by Kurendhoo Constituency MP Mohamed Shamin Habeeb to enact a new law titled the Land Transport Act, was passed at today's sitting of the Parliament with 47 members voting in favor out of the 59 members who participated in the vote. Twelve members from the opposition MDP voted against passing the bill.
The bill, which was originally submitted with seven chapters encompassing all principles related to land transport, was passed with an additional chapter added during the committee stage.
According to the eighth chapter added to the bill titled "Special Principles Applying to the Malé Region," the purpose of this chapter is to address the difficulty in managing traffic in the Malé region due to its dense population and high number of vehicles compared to other islands in the Maldives. Therefore, the introduction of the chapter also notes that the principles and conditions set out in the bill will be implemented differently in the Malé region.
To execute the principles in this chapter, a dedicated office named the "Greater Malé Transport and Mobility Office" will be established.
The chapter specific to Malé was included in the bill as a sunset clause designed to expire within three years. However, the bill also stipulates that if the objectives outlined in the chapter are not achieved within that period, the duration of the chapter can be extended by submitting a request to the National Road Safety Council.
Some Responsibilities and Powers of the Office Created for Malé:
- Formulating policies to resolve problems facing the land transport system and road congestion in the Malé region
- Setting an urban plan and developing roads to establish a robust land transport system
- Determining vehicle registration quotas for the Malé region, with vehicle registrations restricted so as not to exceed 30 percent of registrations
- Determining public transport principles
- Establishing an automated vehicle inspection system to check road-worthiness
According to the bill, the newly established office will also hold the authority to make regulations necessary to execute its responsibilities.
Because the office created by adding a chapter to the Land Transport Bill transfers many matters currently under the oversight of the Malé City Council, along with the revenue associated with them, MDP members expressed dissatisfaction during the debate on the committee report.
