Phase 3 Union of Hulhumalé Calls for Halt on New Housing Allocations

The Phase 3 Union of Hulhumalé has urged the government to pause allocations under its new “Housing for All” scheme until applications submitted during the second round of the previous administration’s Binveriya and Gedhoruveriyaa housing programme are fully evaluated.

Kendhoo MP and lawyer Ali Hussain, representing the union, stated that the former government had pledged flats to 9,000 applicants in the second round of the Binveriya and Gedhoruveriyaa scheme. He claimed that the current administration is attempting to relocate these 9,000 applicants, along with 41,000 others who submitted forms, to Rasmale’, an artificial island currently under reclamation.

Ali Hussain further alleged that the government awarded a USD 600 million contract for the Rasmale’ project, despite a lower USD 400 million estimate provided by the state-owned Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC). He accused the administration of exploiting the process for unlawful gain.

He emphasised that these 50,000 families applied for land or flats in the Malé area, were eligible under the previous policy, and had their forms accepted. Ali questioned the rationale for relocating them to Gulhi, outside the Male’ region.

The former government had stipulated that applicants without housing in Male’ would be eligible for flats within the city, and the applications submitted under that policy have yet to be evaluated. The union has called on the government to assess the second-round applications and deliver the flats and land as originally promised.

The current administration launched the “Housing for All” policy in mid-November, pledging to build 7,900 flats and allocate 15,000 plots of land. The scheme aims to facilitate home and land purchases for high-income earners, provide affordable housing for middle-income families, offer rent-to-own housing for those unable to purchase property, and allocate housing to families without shelter based on government assessments.

Eligibility under the new programme includes residents of Male’ and those who have lived in the city for at least 15 years. Land and flats will be distributed in both the Male’ region and Rasmale’.