President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the residents of Hirimaradhoo will be relocated to Hanimaadhoo within at least 18 months, and that each household in Hirimaradhoo will be given a house in Hanimaadhoo. He said this during a speech while meeting with the residents of Hirimaradhoo, the first stop on his tour of all inhabited islands in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, which began today. The population of Hirimaradhoo is 589. However, due to various reasons, many residents have migrated to other islands, leaving only about two hundred people currently living on the island. The elderly population now outnumbers the youth population on the island.
The government announced in February this year that it had decided to relocate the residents of HDh. Hirimaradhoo to Hanimaadhoo in the same atoll, as requested by the residents. In his speech to the people of Hirimaradhoo, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said that the government wants to brighten the future of Hirimaradhoo residents, provide high-quality services to all citizens, and instill hope. The President said that under the population and development consolidation policy, HDC has been tasked with establishing permanent housing and infrastructure in Hanimaadhoo, and as per the agreement, every resident will be given a plot for a plot and a house, with keys handed over. The President also said that a financial compensation would be provided as part of this project.
“So even if you don’t have a house on your own plot, we will build a house on each plot we give when we allocate the plots. We will review and increase the amount of money given beforehand. This is an effort to brighten the future of the island’s residents. Practical work will begin very soon in Hanimaadhoo. We will proceed at a rapid pace and hand over within at least 18 months.” The President said that population and development consolidation is prioritized for islands where residents request it, and that the government will not force any island’s residents to relocate. He noted that this government’s first population and development consolidation work begins with Hirimaradhoo, and that residents from three other islands have also requested to relocate. The President said that unlike previous population and development consolidation policies and practices, the government will carry out this project in a way that benefits the Hirimaradhoo residents from the economic advantages the government will derive from using Hirimaradhoo, their native island.
The President said that if the government proceeds in this manner, residents of small populations will also want to move to larger islands. He stated that the government considers residents of the smallest populated islands and those of larger islands equally, but if they wish to relocate to such a large island, it would be sustainable and brighten the future for the residents. The President has invited residents of small populated islands to request relocation if they wish to do so. The President said that policies have been formulated to ensure that the economic benefits from the island being left behind will benefit those residents, and that they will proceed as the residents wish.
The President said that this is something that needs to be carried out with great sincerity and honesty, and that leaving one’s homeland is no small matter. The President said that the government will always move forward with the people of Hirimaradhoo, and that even until the residents relocate to Hanimaadhoo, important services needed by the residents will be established in Hirimaradhoo, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said.
