Majority of Land Department Documents After Fire Recovered, Says City Council
Male’ City Council has announced that 90 per cent of documents from its Land Department were saved from the fire that engulfed a government office block in Male’ City last Thursday.
The fire destroyed several offices, including the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Environment, and sections of Male’ City Council, rendering the building unusable.
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Following the fire, the City Council convened an emergency meeting to determine immediate steps. Council member Mohamed Areesh confirmed that the majority of the Land Department’s documents had been recovered and stated that the council would require a 2,000-square-foot space to resume operations.
އަލިފާނުގެ ހާދިސާއާއި ގުޅިގެން މަސައްކަތް ހުއްޓުނު ކައުންސިލް ދެ ޑިޕާރޓްމަންޓުގެ މަސައްކަތަށް ވަގުތީ އޮފީސް ހެދުމަށް ހަމަޖެހިފައިވާ ތަން ކޮންސްޓަރަކްޝަން އެންޑް އިންފްރާސްޓަކްޗަރ މިނިސްޓަރ އަބްދުﷲ މުއްތަލިބާއި އެމިނިސްޓަރީގެ ޓެކްނިކަލް ބޭފުޅުން އަދި، pic.twitter.com/bP5PHSgTmr— Malé City Council (@MaleCitymv) December 14, 2024
Temporary arrangements are being made to relocate operations of the affected ministries to Dharubaaruge, a convention centre in the city. The City Council has also proposed requesting space at Dharubaaruge for its own activities.
Male’ City Mayor Adam Azim assured the public that all necessary efforts are being made to restore the council’s functions. He announced plans to move the salvaged documents to Galolhu School for safekeeping and urged council members to follow the directives of Deputy Mayor Ahmed Nareesh. Azim expressed his commitment to ensuring the council remains one of the most efficient government bodies.
The council has approved an emergency budget of MVR 4.5 million to cover expenses required for resuming operations.
While concerns have been raised about the potential loss of residents’ personal information, Mayor Azim noted that the council was in the process of digitising its documents prior to the fire.
No Significant Data Loss, Says Housing and Infrastructure Ministries
Infrastructure Minister Dr Abdulla Muthalib addressed the public on Saturday, dispelling misinformation about the loss of crucial housing-related data. Speaking outside Dharubaaruge, he confirmed that state institutions had backed up a significant amount of data, including forms related to housing and new loan applications, on cloud servers.
“The priority now is to identify any missing documents and ensure ministries resume operations as quickly as possible,” he said. The authorities have retrieved servers from the fire site and are working on recovering data.
Chief of Defence Force Major General Ibrahim Hilmy reported that the fire was brought to the attention of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) at 6:27 am. Firefighters responded within minutes, focusing on saving lives and preventing the fire from spreading to neighbouring buildings.
The fire occurred just before the start of work hours and resulted in no injuries. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and the police have sought international expertise to assist in the investigation.
Despite the disruption to three government ministries and the city council, preparations are underway to restore normal operations swiftly.
