Hulhumale' development to be assigned to Council, not HDC: President Solih
Multi-storey parking buildings will be built in the Greater Male' area
President Solih highlighted possible solutions to concerns raised by Hulhumale' residents
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has revealed plans to have the development of Hulhumale' assigned to soon-to-be elected councils and not the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).
Presiednt Solih made the remarks while speaking at one of Maldivain Democratic Party (MDP)'s Rahvehi Fahtis campaign events on Monday night. At the event, President Solih held discussions with those competing in the April's mayoral and council elections from Kaafu atoll, and clarified their doubts and concerns in relation to the development of the atoll.
President Solih said that HDC would soon be absolved of their responsibility to develop Hulhumale', with the task thus falling to elected councils. The President also added that the shift would be enforced by law, with the city council to provide municipal services and perform administrative tasks in relation to developing Hulhumale'.
Alluding to concerns being raised about Hulhumale', President Solih highlighted the issue of the several, long-unused vehicles parked across the city. He added that discussions on the topic had been conducted with the council and Police, but noted no effective solutions had been formulated as of yet. However, the President noted that the root cause was the bloated number of land vehicles across the Greater Male' area
President Solih revealed his administrations plans to construct multi-storey parking spaces across the Male' area to resolve the issue, adding that a simultaneous decreasing of vehicles being imported would need to pursued to provide a lasting solution.
In addition to this, President Solih remarked on some issues within the Transport Authority as well. He remarked that dissolving the authority would require resolving some legislative overlap, on which work had already begun in parliament. The President announced that once the authority was dissolved, the city council's role would become more prominent.
Shedding light on aspirations for Hulhumale' Hospital, President Solih expressed hopes that the services would be expanded and would evolve in quality over time. He added that the Hospital's organizational structure and salaries would also be changed.
