Funds allocated to the abolished Island Development Committees (IDCs) will pass to the control of Island Councillors, Haveeru reports.
Cabinet decided to dismantle the elected IDCs after the institutions were determined to be no longer legally viable under the new constitution.
The move caused uproar among many islanders and opposition MPs, particularly the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), who called it “a mockery of the public and the Constitution,” and “more a feature of autocratic rule than democracy.”
Haveeru reported that some islands were still waiting for official confirmation of the decision from the government.