Law amendment expediting housing issuance in three months

A parliamentary Act amendment seeking to expedite issuance of housing units initiated under the previous government within a three-month duration has been submitted.

South-Galolhu MP Mikhail Ahmed Naseem presented the bill, which seeks to rectify the relevant Act to enforce the current government to issue the housing units and plots first awarded by the previous administration led by former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The government is required to issue land plots to recipients within six months from the date of the list's publication on gazette, under the amendment.

Additionally, the government must hand over registries to the final recipients who have not received them so far, within three months from the date of the revised Act's amendment.

Recipients for land plots should expect to receive their registries within six months from the date of the permanent recipient list's publication in the gazette.

The previous government had issued some of the plots to eligible recipients from 9,001 land plots developed or planned for development from Hulhumalé 2, Hulhumalé 3, Gulhifalhu, and Giraavaru Falhu.

Additionally, the Solih Administration also allotted plots for land owners from the reclaimed areas as well. Although the reclamation projects of Hulhumalé 3, Gulhifalhu and Giraavaru Falhu have not completed, the relevant Act was amended earlier to facilitate issuance of registries to the eligible recipients.

The new government however, have planned the reclamation of Kaafu atoll Fushidhiggaru Falhu; which was officiated on Monday, December 18 and dubbed RasMalé.

Meanwhile, parliament's majority party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) alleges the current government was planning against issuing the plots and housing units initiated by the previous government.

The party had further removed the MVR 400 million allocation for Fushidhiggaru Falhu project from the 2024 state budget by redirecting it towards the completion of Gulhifalhu and Giraavaru Falhu reclamation projects. MDP said, the decision was motivated on prioritizing the Binveriyaa scheme launched during the former government.

Despite the allegations, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu earlier promised that his government would not repossess any land plots or housing flats issued by previous administrations.

The current Minister of Housing Dr. Ali Haidar recently reiterated the same pledge as well.