Muthalib: Gov't tried to block dual flat allocations, but agreements already signed

Housing Minister Dr Abdullah Muthalib said on Sunday that the government had made efforts to prevent couples from receiving two separate social housing units, one under the Gedhoruveriyaa scheme and another under previous housing programs, but was ultimately unable to reverse allocations already formalized.

Speaking at a press conference at the President’s Office, Muthalib said the ministry had explored legal and ethical avenues, including consultations with the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM), to avoid awarding flats to couples where one spouse had already received housing under another scheme.

“I personally don’t believe that one family should be given two social housing units,” Muthalib said. “But there was no legal basis to deny them once agreements were signed.”

According to the minister:

• 976 individuals who had already received flats under other schemes were included in the Gedhoruveriyaa list.
• Of these, 645 scored 76 points, qualifying them for three-bedroom flats.
• Muthalib noted that if allocation rules had been stricter, those 645 flats could have gone to other families in need.

In May, the ministry had announced that married applicants under Gedhoruveriyaa would only receive flats if their spouses agreed to relinquish land plots obtained through the Binveriyaa scheme. However, this condition was reversed in July, citing delays in land reclamation and development in Hulhumale' Phase III and Giraavaru.

As a result, no one on the November 15, 2023 flat list has been disqualified due to their spouse’s land ownership under Binveriyaa.

Former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)-led social housing scheme Gedhoruveriyaa provides social housing apartments to eligible applicants based on a points system while the Binveriyaa scheme offers land plots for residential development.

The overlap between the two schemes has raised concerns about equity and resource distribution, especially amid a national housing shortage.