The government has started handing over land from Gulhifalhu to those who received land from the location under the government's Binveriyaa Scheme.
The government began handing over land plots to land recipients on August 27, starting with Hulhumale' plots.
At a ceremony held at Gulhifalhu on Tuesday, plots from the location were handed over to 21 recipients. The land was allocated from a newly dredged area adjacent to the section dredged during the presidency of Mohamed Nasheed.
While the government has plans to allocate 2,219 land plots of various sizes from Gulhifalhu, the initial plots distributed measured 2,450 sqft. All sizes allocated under the scheme, except for the 4000 sqft option, are included in the Gulhifalhu distribution.
Speaking to reporters, Planning Ministry's Senior Executive Director Mohamed Arif confirmed to reporters that all land plots under the scheme would be distributed to recipients by November 5 of this year. He assured that essential services would be available by the time Gulhifalhu is populated. Development of water, sewerage, and roads in Gulhifalhu will commence early next year, undertaken by the Planning Ministry, Urbanco, and several government agencies.
Planning Ministry's State Minister Akram Kamaluddin told reporters that the establishment of basic services in Gulhifalhu is expected to be completed within a year. While he acknowledged potential delays in facilities like schools, he affirmed that basic services would be available soon.
In response to criticism from the opposition regarding land allocation, Akram emphasized that the government is following a well-defined plan to fulfill its promise to Male' citizens.
"Now that we have started handing over the land, they are now asking how are you going to develop it? This is not an imaginary," Akram said.
