Complaints over exclusion from social housing exceed number of flats
A digest of yesterday's top story.
20 September 2022 - Deadline for applications extended until 15 October 2022.
15 October 2022 - A total 20,697 people applied for the scheme by the final deadline.
22 February 2023 - Committee created to oversee Binveriya and Gedhoruveriya selection.
2 August 2023 - Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation signs agreement with Indian company KPIL to build 4,000 additional housing units.
8 August 2023 - Provisional list released with 13,000 out of 20,600 applicants classified as eligible for the scheme. The ministry announced it will visit households to verify “standard of living” before the list is finalised. A complaint period of 15 days was set. Ahead of the September 2023 presidential election, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih pledged to provide housing to all eligible applicants.
28 October 2023 - President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu promised to honour commitments to selected applicants if a final list of awardees is published before he takes office.
4 November 2023 - The finalised list of successful applicants published in the government gazette.
5 November 2023 - The Anti-Corruption Commission orders the housing ministry to halt any work on handing over the flats, pending a new complaints period to accept and address grievances.
15 November 2023 - The revised permanent list is published. Two-bedroom units awarded to applicants who scored above 73 points and three-bedroom units awarded to applicants who scored higher than 76 points. The remaining units to be awarded through a lottery draw among applicants who scored 75 points.
16 November 2023 - Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation signs agreements with some recipients, despite objections from the Anti-Corruption Commission.
20 November 2023 - The new administration will carry out a review of the flat list following the advice of the Anti-Corruption Commission, new Housing Minister Dr Ali Haidar announced.
2 January 2024 - The recipients of the flats will receive registries of the flats within the following week, President Dr Mohamed Muzzu said.
11 January 2024 - Housing ministry objects to handing over registries, pending the outcome of an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission
1 February 2024 - The Anti-Corruption Commission authorised the housing ministry to resume the housing scheme, directing it to review problematic applications according to a standardised procedure and to establish methods for handling issues not addressed in the original policy.
5 February 2024 - The Anti-Corruption Commission announced that over 60 percent of the applicants selected for the scheme did not meet the eligibility criteria. A further 19 percent of applications were found to have other issues.
13 February 2024 - After ACC clearance, the handing over process will begin “starting next week,” Housing Minister Haidar told a parliamentary committee.
27 April 2024 - A review of the housing scheme being carried out by an independent committee is still ongoing, the housing minister said.
13 October 2024 - The government is aiming to publish a final list of flat recipients by the end of October, Haidar said.
28 October 2024 - Housing ministry announces another re-evaluation of the flat list, citing problems with the previously reviewed list compiled by the presidential housing advisory committee and the Malé City Council's housing consultative committee. The re-evaluation will be complete by mid-November, the ministry assured.
9 November 2024 - An interim list will be announced “next week” following the review, Haidar said.
17 November 2024 - Protesters gather at the Housing Ministry office over delays in publishing the flat list.
12 December 2024 - A fire completely destroys the housing ministry office building in Malé. But the loss of documents and damaged serves would not affect the ongoing review process, the ministry assured.
26 December 2024 - Dr Ali Haidar reassigned as Minister of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development. Housing ministry merged with the construction and infrastructure ministry as part of the cabinet reshuffle.
14 January 2025 - New Housing and Construction Minister Abdulla Muththalib announces a fresh verification of the flat list is underway. The verification process will only review the nearly 5,000 applicants shortlisted for the 4,000 flats nearing completion, he said.
27 February 2025 - Muththalib announces the “verified” list of applicants.
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