The government will find amicable solutions to the challenges faced by local councils in formulating land-use plans, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

He said this in his remarks at the deliberations held during the second session of the “Viavathi Raajje” conference, which revolved around land-use plans.

The “Viavathi Raajje” conference is being hosted in Ukulhas island in Alif Alif atoll and Saturday’s sessions were chaired by the president.

The president described the expansion of the mandate of local councils to include drawing up land-use plans as one of the most important amendments to the Decentralization Act and noted that despite this amendment, local councils are facing several challenges.

The president expressed hope to find viable solutions for these challenges, through the deliberations.

The panel was joined by Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology Aminath Shauna, Minister of National Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam, Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government Authority (LGA) Fathimath Afshan Latheef and MP for Hulhumalé constituency Ali Niyaz.

Speaking at the session, Minister Aslam briefed the attendees about issues identified in proposed land-use plans by the ministry and discussed ways to address them.

Further, the tourism minister spoke about the requirements of the ministry related to local tourism development.

The session also saw Minister Shauna speaking about sustainable development practices.

The president assured local government representatives of the administration’s commitment to addressing the concerns raised at the discussions, including the amendment of any necessary laws.

Further, he noted that the incumbent administration will work with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to address issues related to civil servants.

Two more sessions will take place under the conference, on Sunday, with the third and fourth session revolving around the role of women in development and the direction of the decentralized system of governance, respectively.