Slots in the Travellers Market will be available to the public within a week, according to Malé City Council mayor Shifa Mohamed.

While speaking to RaajjeMV, Shifa revealed a deadline of forty-five days was given to re-open the Travellers market but there will be no delays in-reopening the market. City council announced last month for all vendors to clear out space by the thirty-first of August. Shifa stated that slots will be available for three weeks from next week onwards and the Travellers market will soon be open for business.

Shifa added that there is high competition for slots in the travelers market and that the announcement is being delayed as members are yet to come to an agreement on the number of slots that should be offered as the council intends to offer as many slots as possible.

The city council has earlier announced the newly-constructed market will have sixty-three stalls compared to the previous one hundred sixty stalls. These spaces will have an area of eight feet by ten feet. They also shared that although the market usually offers local produce, imported foods can also be sold at the market from here onwards after registering at Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA).

Additionally, the council stated most workers employed at the travelers market are undocumented migrant workers. Therefore, expatriate workers in the travelers market must be registered directly under the name of the stall owner from now on.