Councils need more than MVR 25 million to function: LGA

Local Government Authority (LGA) has said that the councils are in need of more than MVR 25 million for them to function.

Mandated by the Decentralization Act, LGA serves as the national institution to monitor the councils.

In an interview with Sun today, Vice President of the Local Government Authority Shujau Hussain said that phone and electricity services in a number council offices have been disrupted due to lack of funds and that it is causing difficulties to provide certain services to the public.

"The statuses of our councils are quite bad. Phone and electricity have been disrupted. Phone and electricity services have been cut off from more than 40 councils, and this is causing great constraints for the councils to provide services to the people. They have not been able to pay salaries to the teacher working in preschools under the care of the councils. I’d have to say the councils need about MVR 25 million to function,” Shujau said.

Referring to certain reports that the councils do no cooperate with the government, Shujau said that they do not have any basis and that he is saddened by such accusations after Finance Ministry had refused to grant them the budget, even after multiple requests.

“It really concerns us that President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik says on behalf of the government that the councils do not cooperate with the them. The President has said that the councils have obstructed certain services that the government wants to provide to the people. There is not truth to this. It will be very difficult for any council to provide service or cooperation to the people or the government, if they do not get the money to run their councils. LGA condemns these statements by the President,” Shujau said.

During multiple meetings with LGA, Finance Ministry had promised that the issue of lack of funds will be resolved, but the promise remains unfulfilled, Shujau said.

Speaking to the people of Haa Dhaalu Vaikaradhoo after inaugurating the island’s harbour, President Dr. Mohamed Waheed has said that certain councils have opted to forego certain projects in some islands due to their patronage to a specific political party.

The President said that purposefully postponing certain services to the people will not damage the President himself, but cause the public to suffer instead.