Vehicle registrations have seen a 74.6 percent drop in the last two years, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Mohamed Ameen has revealed as the government works tirelessly to address vehicle congestion especially in the capital Male’.
The greater Male’ area is the most congested area in the Maldives with more than 100,000 vehicles registered in the city. The congestion has been exacerbated by years of neglect in vehicle imports and lack of oversight on new registrations.
Speaking on the national radio, Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu’s ‘Ahaashey Bunanan’ programme, Minister Ameen said the vehicle carrying capacity of every island and city must be set by the respective island or city council under the Decentralisation Act.
However, despite multiple attempts and requests by the government, the Male’ City Council has thus far failed to the legally mandated carrying capacity for Male’, the Minister explained.
The biggest area of concern is Male’, according to Minister Ameen, adding that the issue had been compounded by incompetence and lack of oversight by successive governments to control the volume of vehicle imports into the city.
However, since this Administration took office in November 2023, The Ministry has implemented key measures to combat illegal vehicle registrations and ensure compliance with regulations, he explained.
"I can say with certainty that we have not allowed any vehicle to be registered in violation of the law and regulations since we came to power. And I will not allow that to happen. Looking at the numbers, we have seen a drop of 74.6 percent in registrations compared to 2023 and 2024. This shows that things are getting better when the laws and regulations are enforced,” he said.
Minister Ameen also reminded that vehicles can no longer be imported into the Maldives without a registered garage from 13 July. Commercial vehicle importers should also have a place to park them , he added.