Govt says flats not reallocated in verification process

The Ministry of Housing has stated that flats allocated under the Gedhoruveriya scheme will not be reassigned to others.

On 27 February, the list of beneficiaries for the flats to be constructed in Phase II of Hulhumale was released. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had earlier published the list during its administration, which was later reviewed and reissued by the current government.

MDP Deputy Chairman Ibrahim Waheed alleged in a press conference on Saturday that individuals excluded from the previous government’s list had been included in the revised list.

In response, the Housing Ministry said on Sunday that only applicants who had qualified under the list released by the previous administration were considered in the verification process. These included individuals who had scored more than 75 points for three-bedroom flats and more than 73 points for two-bedroom flats. No additional applications were reviewed.

The ministry reiterated that flats allocated to beneficiaries had not been reassigned. It also assured that no changes would be made until complaints regarding the list had been addressed.

The statement clarified that applicants who had lived in the city for 15 years would not be disqualified. It added that if there were any changes in scores, they were made only to correct discrepancies in the information provided.

The ministry has also opened a process for applicants to rectify any errors in their forms during verification. If any flats remain unallocated after this phase, further verification will be conducted before a final decision is made.

The final selection will prioritise the highest-scoring applicants while ensuring that the original information submitted in applications remains unchanged. The ministry maintained that no flats had been deliberately vacated for specific individuals.

The complaint submission process was described as an opportunity to address potential errors in document review. The ministry stated that it was working to finalise a verified list by allowing applicants to submit additional documents during the complaint period.

It further assured that those who do not qualify for the 4,000 flats under this allocation would still receive housing during the current administration’s term, in line with the government’s commitments.

Following the verification process, the revised list of eligible beneficiaries now includes 1,820 individuals, compared to the 8,660 applicants qualified under the previous administration’s gazetted list.