Malé, Maldives – The Parliamentary Petition Committee is set to meet with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih regarding a petition submitted to the committee by the public regarding the Hiyaa flats.
At the committee meeting regarding the Hiyaa flat petition, Committee Chair MP Ibrahim Naseer said that the majority of members proposed meeting with the President to discuss the concerns of the public and after consulting the President’s Office (PO) the committee is going to meet President Solih at a preferable time for the President.
In addition to meeting with the President, the petition committee plans to meet with the former Housing Minister and incumbent Mayor of Malé city Mohamed Muizzu and the Managing Director of HDC Suhail Ahmed.
The petition by the public include a number of demands including,
- Reducing Hiyaa flat rent to MVR 5,600
- Extending the grace period given for the finishing of flats by additional 12 months
- Deducting the MVR 100,000 needed for finishing from the price of the flats
Housing Development Cooperation (HDC) has previously stated that they cannot decrease the rent for the Hiya flats in Hulhumale’ phase 2 even if the public protests.
While the incumbent government decided to take MVR 7,500 as rent from the Hiyaa flat owners for 25 years, along with MVR 1,000 as a flat management fee, the previous government had stated that MVR 5,600 would be the rent for Hiyaa flats.
The public is also sharing concerns regarding the security of Hiyaa flats on social media as photos are circulating of the flats with low railings and a lack of fire safety procedures including fire exits. A number of break-ins reported in the short period since residents were allowed to move in.
