Designating Kulhudhuffushi a city is not enough, the government should provide Kulhudhuffushi residents with the development they need, claims opposition coalition, Progressive Congress.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih officially declared Kulhudhuffushi a city on 31 December and it was put into effect from 1 January onwards.
Following this, the opposition coalition comprising of the former ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC) released a statement, highlighting that the Kulhudhuffushi community has always longed for development and that they have been in the forefronts of leading the people to the correct path, whenever the country’s independence is “compromised”.
Further, the opposition coalition expressed confidence that they will maintain Kulhudhuffushi City as the progressive business hub that they made out of it during the administration of former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
The opposition went on to urge the incumbent administration to fast-track progress for Kulhudhuffushi, the fourth city of Maldives, and to better the services for the city’s community.
The decision to designate Kulhudhuffushi a city, was implemented under the Decentralization Act as Kulhudhuffushi reached a population of 10,000 during November 2018, and so, as per the Maldives Constitution, islands with a population over 10,000 will be declared a city.
Further, the incumbent government has made notable efforts towards improving the city’s health services. The government also plans to upgrade Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital to a tertiary hospital.
This change will pave way for the City Council to undertake Public Sector Investment Programmes (PSIP) projects in Kulhudhuffushi, under MVR 15 million.