Male' City Council moves to demand railings on Hulhumale' towers

Male' City Council has decided to ask the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to install railings on the windows and balconies of residential towers in Hulhumale'.

The motion was submitted as an urgent matter by Hulhumale' North Constituency Councilor Fathimath Zahiyya (Zaya).

Zaya said incidents of children falling from towers in Hulhumale' have increased recently, and that a permanent solution must be found.

She noted that in many countries, tall residential towers have railings on balconies and windows to prevent such accidents. In Hulhumale', she said the responsibility lies with HDC, adding that more lives could be lost if railings are not installed.

“The HDC should work with the guardian company of each tower to install railings on windows, balconies and other open areas,” Zaya said.

Zaya also proposed that HDC be asked to strengthen traffic management in collaboration with the police, citing the rise in accidents in Hulhumale' Phase II.

Her proposal to install railings on tower windows was unanimously approved by all councilors present at the meeting.

The decision comes amid a rise in cases of children falling from flats in Hulhumale'.

A two-year-old girl fell from the twelfth floor of a STELCO tower on Tuesday and died upon impact, while a 16-year-old girl was injured after falling from the third floor of Aman Udhares Tower last Monday.