Housing Ministry says it hasn’t received a complaint serious enough to change flat list

Housing Ministry states they have yet to receive a complaint to the list of recipients of the first 4,000 flats under the ‘Gedhoruveriya’ scheme that is serious enough to affect a change to the list.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Housing Ministry’s Senior Executive Director Mohamed Arif said that they have received approximately 2,000 complaints regarding the list of recipients of three-bedroom flats and 900 complaints for the list of recipients of two-bedroom flats.

Arif said the complaints were regarding the duration applicants have resided in Male’.

“Some have said they should receive a score of this much. But when we checked their application, they received the right appoint of points,” he said.

Arif said that the applicants were eligible to flats, but missed out of placing as the recipients of the first 4,000 flats due to their score.

Arif said that while complainants will not yet see the score report from the Gedhoruverin Portal, they will see the complaint and the standards for evaluation.

“Therefore, they will be able to compare the rules with what their complaint, and estimate the score they should receive. It is only a true complaint if these two things do not correspond,” he said.

The permanent list of recipients of flats under the ‘Gedhoruveriya’ housing scheme was published on the Government Gazette on Saturday.

According to the Housing Ministry, the recipients of the 4,000 units currently under construction by the Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation (FDC) on list of recipients for three-bedroom flats had all received upwards of 76 marks.

Meanwhile, the recipients of the 4,000 units on the list of two-bedroom flats had all received upwards of 73 marks.

On Sunday, dozens of protesters gathered at the Housing Ministry to express their displeasure.

They allege the assessment process had been unfair, that some applicants who had resided in Male’ for a fewer period of time had scored higher points, and that some lawmakers from the MDP and their family members were unfairly awarded flats.

President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has also expressed concern over the situation, urging the outgoing administration against rushing the handover of flats during the few days remaining until his administration comes to power.

Mohamed Firuzul Abdulla Khaleel, the spokesperson for the Office of the President-elect, said earlier on Tuesday that rushing the issuance of flats despite lack of public confidence in the process with just nine days left until the new administration takes office would create multiple issues.

“It is best to follow the ACC’s advice to pause hand over the agreements for the flats or the flats itself, and for the new administration is put in charge of conducting this process right, instead of rushing it during this short span of time,” he said.

“This is also the appeal of the president-elect.”