Mayor Athif: No Approval Received After a Year of Seeking Finance Ministry Permission for Real Estate Housing Project
Kulhudhuffushi City Mayor Mohamed Athif has revealed that the council has been awaiting Finance Ministry approval for over a year to initiate a real estate housing project aimed at addressing the city's stalled housing developments. Despite securing interested investors, the project remains at a standstill due to the lack of government authorization. The Mayor further noted that work on an existing 400-housing unit project launched by the previous administration has also ground to a complete halt.
Kulhudhuffushi City Mayor Mohamed Athif speaking during RaajjeTV’s "Fashaairu" program. | Raajje MV
Kulhudhuffushi City Mayor Mohamed Athif has stated that a real estate housing project initiated by the City Council has been stalled for over a year due to the Ministry of Finance's failure to grant the necessary approval.
In an interview with RaajjeTV’s "Fashaairu" program, Mayor Athif stated that no housing projects have progressed in Kulhudhuffushi City since President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration took office. He further noted that due to the standstill of government projects, the City Council applied for permission from the Ministry of Finance on February 27, 2024, to independently initiate a housing project under a real estate model.
Since the beginning of this administration, the City Council has noted that all housing projects have come to a standstill. Consequently, on February 27th of last year, we sought approval from the Ministry of Finance to initiate a real estate housing project. However, to this day, we have yet to receive the necessary authorization.Mohamed Athif, Mayor of Kulhudhuffushi City Council
To address the housing crisis in Kulhudhuffushi, the administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih launched a major project on December 30, 2022, to develop 400 housing units. However, Athif noted that all progress on the project has come to a complete standstill since the current government took office.
The Mayor further stated that the Council is capable of executing housing projects through real estate models and noted that there are already investors who have expressed interest in such ventures. He added that the Council remains in a state of complete readiness to begin practical work as early as tomorrow, should the Ministry of Finance grant the necessary approval today.
The Kulhudhuffushi City Council has expressed deep concern over the delays in securing approval for its proposed housing project, at a time when the city is facing a severe housing crisis.
