Pres designates Thinadhoo a city
The resolution to make Thinadhoo a city was signed in Male on Wednesday.
By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Wednesday granted city status to Thinadhoo in Gaafu Dhaan Atoll as he had previously promised to.
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President Solih last visited the island, which has a resident population of 5,390, during the MDP presidential primary in January
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At the time, the president said he would return to grant city status to Thinadhoo soon after the presidential primary
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He said he will next visit the island to get it done
The president has been criticised for not giving city status to Thinadhoo since then, and he finally fulfilled his promise at a presidential election campaign rally on Wednesday.
The president announced on Wednesday evening, at the MDP rally that Thinadhoo has become the fifth city in the country.
The president said:
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The council proposed to designate Thinadhoo a city last January and then in August
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The decree to designate Thinadhoo a city was signed in Male on Wednesday; after ensuring the island had met the requirements to become a city
The legal criteria for city status are:
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Registered population not less than 10,000
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If the city is formed by a combination of several islands, the island designated as the city centre shall have the potential to be expanded by further dredging
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Having a tertiary hospital
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The city has a centre for at least undergraduate education
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If the city is formed by a combination of several islands, all the islands of the city shall be connected by a transport system of a standard acceptable to the transport ministry
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Availability of commercial port services
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Availability of banking services
While Thinadhoo is the capital of the G.Dh. atoll, the resident population of Thinadhoo is 5,390. As of July 16, the registered population of Thinadhoo is 7,906:
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3942 Women
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3964 males
The first Islamic centre in the atolls was made in this island. This was also the first island in the country to have begun printing pictures. It has been just 50 years since the island became rehabilitated after it had been deserted during the Southern Rebellion.
