The Urban Development Bill submitted to the People’s Majlis by the government has been passed. The bill was submitted to the Majlis on behalf of the government by PNC member Azim Abdul Aziz, representative for the Villingili constituency. In today’s Majlis session, the vote to pass the bill received 70 votes in favor and 11 votes against.
According to the bill, the national policy for designating and developing urban areas will be determined by the President upon the advice of the Cabinet of Ministers. It also states that this policy must be formulated and made public, and the Minister will be responsible for overseeing its implementation. Additionally, the bill provides for the establishment of an “Urban Development Authority” as a government agency to prepare area development master plans for urban areas, issue development permits to developers of such areas, and coordinate the development work carried out by these parties in these areas.
Establishing 7 urban centers in the Maldives is a pledge of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. The government has previously stated that an Urban Development Region may include more than one urban center, and that urban regions will be formed and developed based on these urban centers. They have also said that these matters will be pursued considering ways to ensure that the total population living in the islands included in that region is not less than 50,000, and that policies will be formulated to further expand and double this population by the year 2033, as previously stated by the President’s Office.
