1,000 slots leased from Male’ for private parking reopens for public use

The hundreds of parking spaces leased out from the roads of Male’ City during the mayorship of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu have been opened for public parking.

The practice of leasing parking spaces from the streets of Male’ was initiated during President Muizzu’s tenure as the mayor of the capital city, for a fee of MVR 1,500 for private cars and MVR 700 for taxis. The initiative sparked allegations of corruption, with some alleging that the slots were allocated in exchange for bribes.

The practice also worsened the parking crisis in the city, where parking spaces were already scarce.

But in September, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) counseled the Transport Ministry that the lease of parking space from public roads is unlawful. The ministry subsequently instructed the Male’ City Council to immediately halt the lease of slots, and to revoke existing leases.

The Male’ City Council announced on Wednesday morning that members of the public can now park their vehicles in all parking zones in the roads of Male’, except in designated areas clearly marked with sign boards to indicate they are closed for parking for specific uses.

Male’ City Mayor Adam Azim previously told Sun that the revocation of leases will free up around 1,000 parking slots in the congested Maldivian capital.

Lack of parking space is a serious issue in Male’, home to tens of thousands of people.

The number of vehicles in the city far exceeds the urban carrying capacity of the existing road and parking infrastructure, leading to severe congestion and other related issues.

However, the problem has remained largely ignored.

While some areas of the city previously featured mechanical vertical parking infrastructure, these facilities were never utilized.

Currently, the city council is creating new parking spaces by vacating cemeteries in Male’ city. The Maafannu ward cemetery has been cleared to construct a parking lot and a public square. Additionally, a section of the Galolhu ward cemetery, where the mortuary is located, has been cleared for parking.

However, this has drawn significant public concern regarding the desecration of cemeteries. The Fatwa Council has also issued a statement indicating that cemeteries cannot be vacated for such purposes.