Council grants Villimale office floor rent-free for gov services
The request came through a letter from the President's Office, seeking to designate a portion of the building for government use.
Male City Council on Wednesday approved the allocation of the ground floor of its new five-story building, located in Villimale, to the Immigration Department and the Department of National Registration (DNR).
This space will be provided to the government free of charge for the purpose of offering essential services, including passport issuance and the processing of DNR ID cards.
The request came through a letter from the President's Office, seeking to designate a portion of the building for government use.
Wednesday morning’s council meeting, chaired by Maafannu North West Councillor Mohamed Areesh, saw discussions centred around the details of the government's request. Key details of the allocation:
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The government requested an office space that does not exceed 2,000 square feet.
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Each floor of the Villimale council building has an approximate area of 2,000 square feet, with the request specifically targeting the ground floor.
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Although the space will be leased without charge, the government will be responsible for any repairs and maintenance costs.
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The building is intended to function as a government service delivery centre, with a focus on facilitating immigration and DNR services.
Councillor Areesh underscored the council's commitment to supporting the President’s initiative, stating, “We will give our full support to today's President.”
The decision was met with mixed reactions. While most council members supported the move, Mohamed Saif Fathih, the representative from the Democrat Party, stood as the sole dissenting vote. Saif expressed concerns over the council's decision to provide rent-free space to the government when the council itself relies heavily on rented spaces to conduct its operations.
"So many departments of this city council are renting space from different parts of the city. There is a huge expenditure on rent. The space where the meeting will be held is also rented by a government company," Saif remarked during the meeting.
He further voiced concerns about the council's financial constraints, highlighting that even the council's own meeting space is rented. Saif emphasised the importance of supporting public services in Villimale, but he questioned the rationale of giving away council property without any financial return.
"If we are given the ground floor and we don't have space to put a counter, why are we building a building for some people?,” he added.
Two prominent members of the council, Mayor Adam Azim from opposition MDP and Deputy Mayor Ahmed Nareesh from the ruling PNC, were absent during this pivotal meeting due to an official visit to India. Their absence meant that the decision was made without input from the highest-ranking officials of the council.
