Online issuance of Gulhifalhu land documents begins

Housing Ministry, on Wednesday, has begun online issuance of official land documents for plots allocated from K. Gulhifalhu under the 'Binveriya' scheme.

Previously, recipients were required to travel to Gulhifalhu to collect the documents. However, with the new change, the Ministry has confirmed that the documents are now available through its official portal.

To access the land handover documents, recipients must log in to the 'Hiyaavehi Portal' using their eFaas credentials, select the 'Land Handover' section, and download the relevant documents. Each document contains a QR code and a dedicated link, enabling landowners to view the exact location of their allocated plot on a map.

The issuance of land registries for Gulhifalhu began on July 12 last year, with 1,260 individuals receiving their registries by August 28. The physical handover of the allocated plots began thereafter on September 14.

The latest physical handover ceremony was held in January this year, with 41 parties receiving their plots. The government has announced plans to allocate a total of 2,438 land plots from Gulhifalhu.

The Gulhifalhu land reclamation project commenced in July 2024. The government previously revealed that the reclamation contract was awarded to Dutch company Boskalis for USD 120 million, approximately MVR 2 billion.

Although the initial plot allocation lottery was conducted by the previous administration, the current government has revised the Land Use Plan twice. As a result, land registries are now being issued following a new draw conducted under the revised plan.

The current administration has also amended the land allocation agreements, citing legal inconsistencies in the original agreements prepared by the previous government.

Under the original agreement, recipients who owned a private land plot smaller than 600 square feet within the 'Male' area were required to relinquish the property. However, the revised policy introduced by the Ministry of Housing expanded the definition of the 'Male' area to include "any region of the Maldives."

Housing Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib previously explained that the amendment was necessary to ensure compliance with Article 11 of the Land Act, which establishes clear criteria for land allocation, noting that the previous agreement was inconsistent with the law.