President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has designated Bodufinolhu, Laamu Atoll, under the jurisdiction of Gan in the same atoll. The President’s decision was announced in a Presidential Decree issued by the President’s Office.
The decree was issued under Article 1-56(a) of the Decentralization Act, which grants the President the authority to determine the jurisdiction of city councils and island councils across all administrative areas of the Maldives.
According to the decree, the President made the change as he considers it necessary to revise the jurisdiction of the city councils and island councils the administrative areas of the country as outlined in a Presidential Decree issued on 18 March 2020.
As per the amendment, if the jurisdiction of a council includes a resort or industrial island, the resort or industrial island will be removed from the council’s jurisdiction. If an uninhabited island falls under the jurisdiction of two councils, the uninhabited island will be removed from the jurisdiction of both councils.
The decree as well as a chart detailing the jurisdictional change has now been published in the Gazette.