Planning Minister Mohamed Aslam has taken credit for the Hiyaa housing project.
The Hiyaa project was initiated in December 2017 and carried out by the government of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom. When the current government took over in 2019, the project was nearly at a close, with a large percentage already completed. The construction of the 16 towers was wrapped up, and the recipients of over 7,000 flats were finalized by the former government before the 2018 Presidential Election. After President Solih took over, some interior work of the flats was carried out.
Speaking at the MDP Congress on Saturday, Minister Aslam said he did not want to take credit for all the work done by President Yameen's government. However, when the current government took over the administration, some of the towers only had a foundation, he said. Most towers under President Yameen's 'Vinares' flat project did not even have their foundations laid then, and the work was carried out by President Solih's government, he said.
“Majority of the flat work was completed by us, in accordance with the current government's plan,” Aslam said.
Although Minister Aslam claims the current government did the majority of the work on the Hiyaa flats, the beneficiaries of the flats were chosen again later by this government and handed over the flats to them without completing the interior works. The main work done on the flats by the current administration was arranging basic services at the towers. The government completed the work mid-last year.
Aslam had previously spoken in a parliamentary session on November 23 last year, implying that the bulk of the work on the Hiyaa flats was completed by President Solih’s government. At the time, the minister said that if he had the power to demolish the Hiyaa flats, he would have done so. However, it was not done that way because the main works of the shelter flats had already been completed by President Yameen's government, he had said.
