HDC chief: Hope is to solve Male’ parking shortage within two years

The hope is to resolve the shortage of parking in the populous Greater Male’ Area within the next two years, says Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed, the managing director of Housing Development Corporation (HDC).

He made the comment during a ceremony held on Wednesday to hand over land allocated from Hulhumale’ to serve as a temporary parking lot for illegal or unregistered vehicles parked in the streets of the capital.

The HDC has allocated a 40,000-square-feet plot from Hulhumale’ Phase II to the Transport Ministry to develop the temporary parking lot.

At the handover ceremony, Fazul said that while the plot will provide a temporary fix, HDC hopes to see a permanent solution to the parking shortage under President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s leadership.

He said that the HDC was making necessary arrangements to initiate the work on constructing 15 parking buildings in Hulhumale’, and would make the related announcement by the end of next month at the latest.

Fazul said that residents of Hulhumale’ will receive a specific number of slots from the parking buildings.

He said that the HDC’s future plans for the parking buildings include powering it with solar energy, leasing out commercial units, and introducing a fee for parking slots.

“Our hope is to see a permanent solution to this within the next two years or so. As we work towards this goal, the HDC will carry out parking pre-sale activities,” he said.

Fazul had previously said that the parking buildings planned for Hulhumale’ will create parking space for at least 4,000 vehicles.

He said that the HDC expects to finish the parking buildings within two to three years.

The development of parking buildings is part of efforts by the Transport Ministry, Home Ministry, Male’ City Council and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to decongest the streets of Greater Male’.