Mayor urges govt to prioritise second round of housing applications

Male Mayor Adam Azim on Thursday called for priority to be given to applicants from the second round of the former government’s Binveriya and Gedhoruveirya housing scheme when allocating land and flats under the current government’s housing programme.

Land and flats were allocated under the first phase of the Binveriya and Gedhoruveirya scheme during the previous MDP administration. Following this, a second round of applications was opened, attracting a large number of applicants. The list of applicants was published in the Government Gazette on 16 November 2023.

Applications for land and flats under the current government’s first housing project opened in January. However, despite applications submitted under the previous administration, the government has opened the process for re-application.

In a post on X, Mayor Azim said equal consideration should be given to those who applied during the second round of the earlier scheme. He stated that relevant government institutions already hold the details of applicants from the second round of the landlord and householder scheme introduced by the previous administration.

He said eligible applicants should be allocated land and flats under the current housing project without being required to submit new application forms. Mayor Azim said housing remains the main social issue in the city and continues to be included in the pledges of successive governments.

He added that changes made by one government to programmes implemented by a previous administration could affect public trust. The mayor also called on the government to allocate land and flats to eligible applicants without discrimination.

Under the current housing scheme, 15,000 land plots are to be allocated in the Greater Malé area and Rasmale’. A total of 7,900 flats will be allocated in the Greater Malé area. The deadline for land applications is 4 March, while applications for flats close on 17 April.