Ministry says no discussions on urban development bill
State Minister Mohamed Hashim said the bill contained many provisions that contradicted the Decentralization Act.
The Urban Development Bill, which seeks to create an institution that undermines the powers of local bodies, has been tabled in parliament without any involvement of the local government ministry, it said on Thursday.
The bill is one of the new laws introduced by the government. The purpose of this bill is to:
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Determine urban areas of Maldives and regulate the development of such areas under a strong legal framework
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Determination of zones, classifications and land use of urban areas and similar areas
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Describe the basic standards for developing and operating such areas and the rules for monitoring and penalising development projects implemented in those areas
In addition, with the enactment of the Urban Development Act, a government agency called the Urban Development Authority will be established. The agency is responsible for preparing master plans for the development of urban areas designated under the law, issuing permits to developers and monitoring their work.
In a joint meeting of the National Development and Heritage Committee and the Decentralisation Committee held on Thursday with senior officials of the Ministry of Housing and the Local Government to study the Urban Development Bill, opposition MP from Thoddhoo constituency, Hussain Sameer, expressed concern that the Local Government Authority (LGA), island councils and atoll councils would lose their power after the establishment of the authority.
State Minister Mohamed Hashim, who represented the Local Government Ministry in the committee, said the bill contained many provisions that contradicted the Decentralisation Act.
"I note that many of these things greatly restrict the powers of the Atoll Council and other councils. I think President Mohamed Muizzu's intention is to always empower councils and run the system very closely with councils," he said.
Hashim noted that:
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When the new authority mentioned in the bill is being created, the councils are not involved in it
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The involvement of councils is in the implementation phase; that's also just supervisory
“We note that there was no involvement of the ministry when the bill was drafted,” Hashim said.
He also requested the committee chairman to give him an opportunity to share the concerns of the local government ministry and comment on the bill as there are many issues in the bill that are contradictory to the decentralisation law.
While members and the local government ministry also expressed concern over the bill, speaking at the committee, Housing Ministry Director Fathimath Shaheen said:
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Although the Urban Development Authority is established, the urban area will be developed by a body appointed by the government; it may be the councils of those areas
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The Authority will have planning and monitoring jurisdiction; however, both public and municipal services to be provided during the planning and development period will remain within the authority and discretion of the council
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At the end of the development period, the authority's jurisdiction will end and the area will go back to the councils
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The Authority will prepare the master plan in consultation with the councils; development can also be carried out under an agreement between the authority and the councils
