Minister: All land plots awarded from Phase II to be handed over by end of October

Housing Minister Dr. Haidar Ali states handover of all land plots awarded from Hulhumale’ Phase II under the former administration’s ‘Binveriya’ housing scheme will be completed by the end of this year’s October.

Minister Haidar made the remark while responding to questions at the Parliament after being summoned regarding the land plots and flats awarded during the former administration.

Prior to this, Housing Ministry stated that 624 land plots has been handed over from Hulhumale’.

Minister Haidar affirmed that all land plots awarded from Hulhumale’ Phase II will be handed over to recipients by the end of this year’s October.

As per the Minister, land plots from Hulhumale’ Phase II were awarded from an area where companies have stored their belongings and in a manner the land plots intersect with the roads. Moreover, some plots were awarded from areas yet to be reclaimed which, the Minister stressed cannot be considered as “land plots’.

In this regard, he detailed that the former administration had awarded 699 plots from the lagoon. Henceforth, he said the current administration will be handing over these plots after reclamation.

“Plots issued from the sea and the lagoon cannot be considered as “land plots”. The current administration, in reality, has to convert them to land plots. As such, the current administration will convert them to land plots by reclamation,” he said.

Speaking further, Minister Haidar said the handover of the land plots awarded from Hulhumale’ Phase III will be completed by the end of this year’s November.

The former administration awarded 1,408 land plots from Hulhumale’. 465 plots were handed over to recipients at the end of last year.  With the handover of an additional 159 land plots so far this year, a total of 624 land plots have been issued to recipients.

The previous government decided to issue 9,003 plots to 18,955 eligible recipients from the first round of the Binveriya Scheme. The plots were designated from Hulhumale', Gulhifalhu, and Giraavarufalhu.

The delays in the land plots and flats awarded under Binveriya and Gedhoruveriya housing schemes of the previous administration prompted Male’ residents to stage a protest.

However, the current administration has affirmed that the land plots and flats will be handed over to its rightful recipients; a statement which was reiterated by Minister Haidar at Monday’s parliamentary sitting.