Muthalib: Signing of flat agreements to begin next week; handover within this month

Housing Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib has announced that preparations are in progress to start signing agreements with the recipients of 4,000 flats developed in Hulhumale’ Phase II under the former administration’s ‘Gedhoruveriya’ housing scheme.

He made the remark in response to a question asked during Monday night’s ‘Ahaa Forum’ session, which sought the latest information on the flat agreement process.

Minister Muthalib highlighted that the Housing Ministry is working diligently to hand over the 4,000 flats at the earliest. In this trajectory, he detailed that the agreements have been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office for finalization, and preparations are underway to facilitate the signing of the agreements.

In this regard, he noted that the flat agreements have been sent tothe  Attorney General’s Office for finalization, while efforts are underway to make arrangements to sign the agreement.

“Our goal is to finalize everything and commence the signing of the agreements starting next week. We have already secured a location where tents are being set up, and FDC (Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation) is carrying out additional preparations, including assigning administrative staff for the process,” he detailed.

Many have voiced concerns about the delays in signing the flat agreements. In response, Minister Muthalib emphasized that certain preparations were necessary, as the issue is directly linked to public interest.

The delays, he explained, are because the process involves delivering a service to a large number of citizens.

“We can’t simply ask them to come to the office and sign,” he said.

However, he expressed confidence that the signing of the agreements can begin next week.

FDC awarded the construction of the 4,000 housing units to two Indian companies: NBCC India Limited and Kalpataru Projects International Limited (KPIL). Each company was tasked with building 2,000 units, distributed across 16 towers, each comprising 18 floors.

Previously, FDC reported that 96 percent of the flats built by NBCC were completed, while KPIL had finished 95 percent of its assigned units.

The list of recipients of the 4,000 flats under the ‘Gedhoruveriya’ scheme was announced on November 4, 2023, with only days remaining in former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration.

A revised list was published on November 15th, following the initial list's heavy critique.

However, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) intervened in the proceedings, claiming the former administration manipulated the list to grant social housing units to favoured individuals.

The social housing scheme was put on halt following this, after which the Housing Ministry of the current administration announced another revised list that contained just 1,820 eligible recipients and declared 53 percent of the people who appeared in the earlier lists were ineligible.