Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration’s decision to issue land from the greater Male’ area free of charge resulted in a loss of MVR 13 billion to the state, says Ibrahim Falah, the leader of ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), as he called on the state to repossess the plots of land.
The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration had run two major housing schemes to address the housing crisis in the overcrowded Maldivian capital – the ‘Binveriya’ scheme under which thousands of plots were awarded from land reclaimed or being reclaimed from Hulhumale’, Gulhifalhu and Giraavaru Falhu, and the ‘Gedhoruveriya’ scheme, under which 4,000 flats were built in Hulhumale’.
Kendhoo MP Muroof Zakir, a lawmaker from the main opposition MDP, has submitted a resolution urging the incumbent PNC administration to expedite the handover of the 4,000 flats.
Speaking during the debate on the resolution on Tuesday, Falah, the parliamentary representative for Inguraidhoo, criticized the ‘Binveriya’ scheme.
He said that the plots that the MDP administration issued under the scheme were all underwater.
He said that the scheme had been a ploy used by the MDP in an effort to win the 2023 presidential election.
“At an economically vulnerable nation such as the Maldives, they distributed registries of not just one or two, but some 40,000 plots of land during the presidential campaign, motivated out of pure greed to retain power,” said Falah.
Falah described the ‘Binveriya’ scheme as one of the greatest losses the MDP administration inflicted on the country, one that he estimates denied the state out of around MVR 13 billion in revenue.
He said that the whole scheme was unfair, with some residents of Male’ asked to purchase land from the same locations where others were given it for free.
He called on the state to repossess the land after paying compensation to those entitled to it.
“My opinion on this matter is that all these land plots that was distributed for free should be repossesses by the state after compensating people who have built boundary walls or built on these plots,” he said.
But Falah said this opinion is not that of the PNC, but his own.
He added that this is an opinion that over 90 percent of the population shares.
The MDP administration awarded over 9,000 plots of land from Hulhumale’, Gulhifalhu and Firaavaru Falhu under the first phase of the ‘Binveriya’ scheme.