Male’ City Council Delays Fish Market Land Handover Pending Further Information

The Male’ City Council has decided not to hand over the land designated for the redevelopment of the Male’ Fish Market to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development until it receives additional information regarding the project.

The decision was made during a council meeting on Wednesday after the ministry formally requested the transfer of the land to proceed with the redevelopment works.

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Mayor Adam Azim said the council must complete the necessary due process before any transfer can take place. He noted that the council had already sent a letter to the ministry seeking clarification on several matters related to the project.

The mayor said the council remains committed to ensuring the fish market redevelopment is completed as soon as possible but added that uncertainty surrounding the project’s current status had created complications. He also called on Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Dr Abdulla Muththalib to engage directly with the council and attend its meetings to address the issues raised.

A proposal was submitted to withhold the transfer of the land until the requested information is provided by the ministry. The motion, seconded by North Machchangolhi councillor Khadheeja Mohamed, was unanimously approved by all councillors present at the meeting. The current council is controlled by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which holds a supermajority.

Despite the decision, Mayor Azim said the council would provide full cooperation to facilitate the immediate commencement of the project if the ministry submits the requested information and the council is satisfied with the documentation.

The fish market redevelopment project was originally awarded through a competitive bidding process during President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s tenure as Mayor of Male’. The initial contract was valued at USD 6.1 million.

However, during the transition period following the 2023 presidential election and before the January 2024 mayoral by-election, the city council cancelled the original agreement and awarded the project to another party for USD 9.5 million.

The revised contract was signed on behalf of the city council by the Head of the Legal Section, Ali Naseer Qasim. Previous efforts to summon Qasim to a council meeting as part of an inquiry into the matter were unsuccessful due to a lack of quorum after councillors from the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), which held a supermajority in the council at the time, did not attend the meeting.