Government grants only cover salaries and electricity bills; Minister Muttalib is speaking without knowing the facts: Mayor Nizar
Addu City Mayor Ali Nizar has issued a sharp rebuttal to Housing Minister Muththalib’s claims that local councils are failing to fulfill their responsibilities. The Mayor clarified that the state-provided block grants are barely sufficient to cover staff salaries and electricity bills, forcing the council to fund road maintenance through its own generated revenue. Furthermore, Nizar accused the government of negligence, noting that despite contracting the Road Development Corporation (RDC) to construct Addu City’s roads over 18 months ago, the administration has failed to monitor or ensure the project's progress.
Mayor of Addu City, Ali Nizar. | RaajjeMV | RaajjeMV
Addu City Mayor Ali Nizar has stated that the block grants provided by the government to local councils are barely sufficient to cover staff salaries and electricity bills. The Mayor further criticized Housing Minister Dr. Abdulla Muththalib, suggesting that the Minister’s recent remarks were made without a clear understanding of the ground realities.
During Wednesday's Parliament sitting, the Minister sharply criticized the Male' City Council and Addu City Council, accusing them of failing to fulfill their responsibilities. The Minister stated that while the state provides hundreds of millions of rufiyaa to the Addu City Council, the council has failed if it lacks the mechanism to even repair potholes on the streets.
Responding to the remarks, Nizar told RaajjeMV that Minister Muththalib is unaware of how state affairs are conducted.
The Minister is clearly unaware of how state affairs are being managed. He fails to realize that the block grants provided barely cover council staff salaries and electricity bills. It is this lack of understanding that leads him to make such claims. Road maintenance and other essential services are funded through the council’s own revenue, which we have worked to increase. We are utilizing the income generated through the opportunities and flexibilities introduced by the MDP’s legislative amendments. Even the road construction is funded by us; the government provides nothing. It has been a year and a half since this project was contracted to RDC, yet the government has not even bothered to check whether any work is being carried out.Mayor of Addu City, Ali Nizar
While Minister Muththalib stated that the Addu Link Road project has been contracted to RDC, Mayor Nizar noted that the government had assigned the work to the company a year and a half ago. However, the Mayor remarked that the project has seen no progress and accused the government of failing to monitor its status.
During Wednesday's parliamentary sitting, the Minister questioned whether councils exist merely to engage in dialogue with the public. He further raised concerns regarding the actual productivity and functions of these local bodies.
