Government makes U-turn on affordable housing pledge
Some 300 families who were awarded flats by former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration are being asked to pay MVR2million (US$129,701) for a flat, with the housing ministry announcing that it will prioritise families who can make the payment within five years.
10 Apr 2016, 9:00 AM
Some 300 families who were awarded flats under an affordable housing scheme are being asked to pay MVR2million (US$129,701) for a flat, with the housing ministry announcing that it will prioritise families who can make the payment within five years.
In a letter to successful applicants, Hassan Rasheed, state minister for housing, said that the price of flats under construction at the Gaakoshi and Arabiyya plots “do not fit the social housing category.”
“The government has decided that the price of Gaakoshi and Arabiyya flats is MVR2million, and we have decided to give priority to those who can complete the payment within five years.”
The flats were awarded in 2012 by former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration to the landless residents of Malé, migrants who had lived in Malé for long periods of time, and land-owning residents of Malé who were unable to build on their plots because of lack of finance or the small size of their plots. Those in the latter category are eligible for housing in exchange for their land.
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