Tag: Male’ city council

Eviction will obstruct public services: Male’ City Council

Malé City Council (MCC) has said that attempts by the Housing Ministry to evict it from offices in the Huravee Building would affect public services.

Speaking at a press conference today, MCC Mayor Ali Manik said: “We are running a small government here. We oversee the pre-schools, look after the primary health care in all districts of Male’. We provide registrations to local businesses.  These services will be obstructed because of the Housing Ministry’s actions”.

The eviction notice has come amidst an escalating dispute between the MCC and the Ministry of Housing and Environment this week.

The Housing Ministry yesterday informed the MCC that the council had until 3:00pm on Thursday to vacate its offices. This led to police today attempting to prevent council members from entering their offices in the Huravee building.

Councillor Mohamed Abdul Kareem claimed that it took two hours for MCC employees to be allowed access to the building this morning due to the police’s “interfering”. He also complained that the MCC was not being allowed to take anything in or out of the building.

Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said that police were checking to ensure the building remained secure after receiving a complaint from the Housing Ministry that property was being removed from the building.

Minister for Housing and Environment Dr Mohamed Muiz had previously told local newspaper Haveeru that the council had been asked to vacate the offices in order to accommodate two new government ministries.

A similar dispute between the municipal council and the Housing Ministry took place this week concerning control of the Dharubaaruge conference centre and the Usfasgandu area. The MCC has leased the Usfasgandu area to the MDP for use in serial protests calling for early elections.

“If we play this around politically, only the people will suffer,” Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) council member Ibrahim Shujau said, agreeing with the Mayor.

The damage that the political dispute could have on the people of the capital was made clear by Councillor Mohamed Abdul Kareem : “They are not disturbing the MCC, they are not disturbing the Maldivian Democratic Party, they are disturbing the citizens of Malé.”

Local media this week reported Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muiz as claiming that the MCC would be able to move their Huravee operation to Male’ City Hall.

However, Kareem told Minivan News that the move “is not possible. The place is congested here [at the City Hall] already.”

“If we vacate [Huravee], services will be stopped,” he said.  

Kareem added that the council therefore wished to cooperate with the government in finding a solution. He claimed the MCC had not yet received any invitation for a discussion.

Shujau added that the Housing Ministry’s actions suggested they were “not willing to negotiate”. The DRP councillor claimed that the Housing Ministry wished to “overrule the Decentralisation Act” by preventing the council from providing services stipulated in the act.

Earlier in the week, the Housing Ministry informed the MCC that staff working at the Dharubaaruge conference centre were to be transferred to its department. The MCC subsequently locked the facility and sent staff members home.

Housing Minister Dr Muiz declared the act “unlawful”. Consequently, police arrived on the scene to re-open the building. Today a solitary policeman kept watch at the front of the building.

A member of the office staff on duty at Dharubaaruge today, who wished to remain anonymous, said that she was an MCC employee who had been drafted in to ensure services were maintained. She declined to comment further on the site’s staff situation.

The MCC has also announced its intention to challenge the legality of the Ministry’s letter giving notice of the staff changes.

When asked whether the dispute was expected to have any negative impacts on the provision of public services by the council, Chairman of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Hassan Fahmy said that both the Ministry of Housing and the MCC had sufficient human resources to maintain services.

Fahmy added that the CSC had tried to talk with both parties to find an “amicable” solution to the Dharubaaruge dispute. However, the body’s chairman said that neither the Ministry of Human Resources or the MCC were willing to give ground. “I think this will have to be settled in the courts,” he added.

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Male’ City Council decides to give ‘Usgandu’ to MDP for three months

Male’ City Council has given the area behind Dharubaaruge to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to conduct political activities, after the police dismantled ‘Justice Square’ (the Tsunami Monument area) on Monday.

Deputy Mayor of the Council Ahmed Falah today confirmed to Minivan News that the land has been given to the MDP for three months to conduct political activities.

‘’We gave the land because last Monday terrorists attacked the Justice Square at the end of Lonuziyaarai street,’’ Falah claimed.

Male’ Mayor ‘Maizan’ Ali Manik said he did not wish to say anything about it because several media outlets had been misquoting him recently.

Former President Office Undersecretary Ibrahim Rasheed ‘Hoara Ibbe’ told Minivan News that tonight there will be a MDP rally at the ‘Usgandu’.

‘’MDP will be continue having meetings and conducting other political activities in any land we get and we will do it peacefully,’’ he said.

He said he regretted that police superiors have been sending low-ranking officers to attack MDP properties and persons and later blaming them, saying that their superiors did not know anything about it.

‘’They brought this day through a coup, and they are creating more violence to uphold the coup they brought,’’ he said, referring to the actions of the police.

Rasheed also said he was expecting that the suit against the security forces will be concluded next week.

The Justice Square or the tsunami monument area was also used by the MDP with the authority of the council.

However the current Attorney General Azima Shukoor declared that the land was not under the council and that it was under Housing Ministry.

A while after her statement, hundreds of police and military officers with batons and tear gas guns appeared in the area in full riot gear and ordered everyone in the area to leave immediately.

The area was then completely cleared of all trace of the MDP, from yellow flags to political graffiti on the sea wall.  Police have been monitoring the area and occasionally ordering people visiting to leave.

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Rival parties request Male’ space after council grants MDP Tsunami Monument area

Rival political parties have requested private protest areas around the capital after Male’ City Council allowed the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)  to keep a camp at the Tsunami Monument area to until June.

The Jumhoory Party (JP), led by MP ‘Burma’ Gasim Ibrahim, has sent a letter to the Mayor of Male’, ‘Maizan’ Ali Manik ,requesting he give the party vacant land near the State Trading Organization (STO) for a year.

A statement on the official JP website said that the letter was sent by Party Spokesperson Moosa Rameez.

The statement noted that the Tsunami Monument area had been given to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), where the party has since setup a protest camp.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has said it has requested that Male’ City Council provide it the Artificial Beach for one year and eight months in order to conduct their own activities.

Speaking to local media, Abdul Raheem Abdulla of the PPM said that there was no reason that the council should not give the Artificial Beach to the party because it had already given the Tsunami Monument area to MDP.

The JP statement also confirmed that the PPM sent a letter requesting it be given the Artificial Beach area.

Three days ago, Male City Council extended the duration given to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to continue its protest at the tsunami monument area.

The council first gave the area to MDP until the end of March, but then extended this period after a request from the party.

Male’ City Mayor ‘Maizan’ Ali Manik today told Minivan News that the council has received the letters.

”The council will now decide on the matter,” he said.

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Male City Council begins Primary Health Care program

President Mohamed Nasheed has today launched the “Primary Health Care Program” of Male City Council, which aims to facilitate immunization and other health services to children below five years of age.

In its first step the program will conduct a survey to determine the total number of children below five years of age living in capital Male’, Mayor Maizan Ali Manik said during the program launch at Vinares house in Machangoalhi district.

To inaugurate the program, President Nasheed visited that house and helped the children living there fill out primary health care forms.

City council officials are expected to visit every household in Male’ during the survey.

Speaking to the press, the President said the 11-seat council, which consists of nine ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) councillors, is now mandated with the important task of managing primary health care in Male’.

The primary health care program has not been “managed properly” in Male’, though the islands have been running the program successfully, he added.

Under the program, the council will be responsible for recording children’s height, weight, and other health indicators, the President observed.

Mayor Manik reiterated the importance of the initiative, adding that the council has decided to open Primary Health Centers (PHC) in Male’s four districts, as well as nearby Villingili and Hulhumale.

He added that the centers will help “reduce the current pressures faced by the hospitals” as parents can take their children to the paediatricians at the health centers instead of going directly to hospitals.

“The parents can bring the children here. The doctor at the center will recommend if further consultation is required from hospitals”, the Mayor explained.

He added that centers will provide immunization, vaccination and free consultations, among other health services.

The program follows the implementation of the Aasandha universal health insurance scheme, under which Maldivians will receive up to Rf100,000 of free health care per year. Government officials have said the scheme now holds the government to a higher standard of health care.

During the primary school admission process last year, the Ministry of Education observed that an increasing number of children were not properly vaccinated.

Parents are required to submit a vaccination report with the school application form when their children enroll in grade one, at the age of seven.

Following the Ministry’s observation, public health experts stressed the importance of a comprehensive primary health care initiative to ensure proper immunisation of children.

Speaking today to Minivan News, Public Health Programme Coordinator for the Center for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) Dr Fathmath Nazla Rafeeq welcomed the city council’s initiative as an important move to provide easy access to vaccination  and monitoring.

She noted that the Maldives already has a record high vaccination coverage rate in the region, adding that the health centers will help “sustain the coverage”.

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Local market patched with personal alliances

Compared to markets in many developing countries, Male’s fruit and vegetable market appears tranquil. Visitors aren’t hassled, and the pathways are fairly clean. Nearly each stall presents banana bunches, coconuts young and mature, and bundles of various leaves alongside giant papayas and modest mangoes. A few sport coconut oils and juices for skin, hair and cooking, as well as containers of Maldivian spice mix and a salty fish sauce.

While the market is the shopkeeper’s source for local goods, the rules of competition are personal. “Business depends on your friends–both shopkeepers and customers,” said one vendor. Pointing out the homogeneity of goods available, he explained, “We compete by making sure we have what the other guy has. We don’t lower the price.”

While business is alright, the annual holiday season (October – December) brings a dismal combination–low supply and low demand. In spite of their personal connections, most vendors note that business hovers between “alright” and “bad.”

During the holidays many locals leave the country, and island-based suppliers make fewer trips to Male’. One man said the price of a coconut, one of the Maldives’ most common products, has dropped from Rf5 (US$0.30) to Rf2 (US$0.13). Bananas sell for Rf1 (US$0.06) apiece, versus the shop rate of Rf3 (US$0.9). He adds that most tourists who stop in don’t buy.

Seasonal market trends are a nuisance for vendors, but their complaints mostly lie with the changes imposed on the market system by the Male’ City Council, then Male’ Municipality.

Renovations earlier this year transformed the former sprawl to a plot of concrete squares delineating 176 stalls, available by lottery for three-month periods only at Rf750 (US$49) per month.

Many vendors said they were uninformed of the changes and simply asked to evacuate. Protests against the order were unproductive, and vendors claim the new arrangement has hurt their business as well as their pride.

“People who had worked here for years weren’t given an advantage in the lottery,” said Ahmed Zakariya. “It’s only by chance that they can sell goods, and for three months only.”

Zakariya said the situation had led some vendors to lease out their stalls at a profit.

“Some guys have families, and their whole life is based on this business,” he explained. “They try to lease a stall from someone else so they can sell for longer, but they’re not too happy with the set up.”

Vendors have also turned to their own resources to fix physical flaws.

Although the Municipality provided white tarp covers for the stalls, the sandy pathways were unprotected and rain often splashed into the stall areas, coating products in wet silt. One vendor explained that the blue and patched sheets now draping over the walkways were raised by the men themselves, in the interest of protecting business.

Noting the prevalence of unstable and crumble-prone styrofoam surfaces, Minivan News asked a vendor why the stalls were built out of such impermanent material.

“People don’t invest in improving their stalls because they only have them for three months,” said one man. “Even if you win the next lottery, you may move across the market. So we use re-usable materials that are easy to move.”

Gesturing to his approximately four foot by seven-foot stall, Zakariya added that the restricted stall spaces hurt business prospects.

“Sometimes we can’t keep enough produce in the given space, so we can’t sell as much.”

He said some vendors partner with their neighbors to expand storage and sales, paying a fee or entering into partnership as friends.

Mohamed Manik of Gaaf Alif Atoll believes he is one of the few vendors currently selling solo. He said he makes a monthly minimum of Rf10,000 (US$649), but believes the joint operations make a much higher profit. “They are my big competitors, the ones who have partnered,” he noted, looking around. “But I usually can’t compete, so I just try to make a satisfactory living.”

In spite of the delicate competition for social-professional connections, Manik said people are friendly. But he pointed out that they share a common antagonist: night burglars.

“Theft is a big problem,” said one older man.

Without a security guard or market gate, he said, the market is hard to defend. Pranksters most often steal banana bunches, however he said some coins he had had the day before had disappeared overnight.

“Sometimes the guys who stay here overnight catch the thieves and beat them, and hand them over to the police. But they are soon released, and come back the next day to hassle us,” he said.

“Security needs to be better, the city council should take responsibility. It’s very, very, very very sad,” he concluded.

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Male’ bus service bids open to four groups

MVK Maldives, Shiyam Auto Garage, AK Construction and MVK’s Ahmed Nazim have shown interest in providing bus service to Male’, the city council has announced.

City Council will accept bids for the project today, December 15, from the four groups exclusively, Haveeru reports. The parties are required to present a Rf500,000 (US$33,300) guarantee at the time of bidding.

The council will evaluate bids according to the parties’ demonstration of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its commitment to renewable energy.

Previously, Male’ bus service was operated by MVK Maldives for a trial period. The agreement covering the trial service expired this month.

MVK has been requested to continue service until a party is selected and an agreement reached.

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Thilafushi closed for clean-up as ‘garbage island’ overflows

Male’ City Council has banned waste dumping at Thilafushi, commonly known as ‘garbage island’, until the current overflow has been cleaned up and boats can access the appropriate dumping areas.

“We decided to ban all the parties from dumping waste until we draft regulations and devise policies on dumping waste,” Councillor Ibrahim Shujau told Haveeru News yesterday.

He explained that parties bringing waste from place other than Male’ would be allowed to dump in designated areas only after a cleaning operation had been carried out and new regulations published.

Minivan News was unable to reach Shujau at time of press.

Tourism Ministry Deputy Director General Moosa Zameer Hassan said the temporary closure “can’t go on for long,” and hopes to re-open the area by the weekend. “But boats will be monitored to ensure they follow procedures,” he added.

Hassan said “waste being brought to the site is not properly put into the collection area–many boats are impatient so they dump their waste outside of the designated area. Now boats cannot access the collection area.”

Thilafushi accommodates only a few boats at a time for dumping. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) director Ibrahim Naeem earlier said that limited capacity was pushing boats to break the rules.

“The mechanism for waste collection and disposal needs to be improved,” he said previously. “The EPA has to do some work on the matter, and the people who are bringing in the garbage and contributing to its buildup also need to take responsibility.”

Naeem today reiterated that the solution lay with management.

“The City Council has to be more active in getting the necessary equipment and budget to manage waste disposal,” said, adding that boats should also be more patient even in queues one to two hours long.

This is the third time in three months that reports of free-flowing waste have come out of Thilafushi, Naeem notes. Hassan said transferring Thilafushi management to the City Council as per the Decentralisation Act has affected operations.

While City Council does not have sufficient capacity to fully support Thilafushi operations, solutions including splitting the cost of waste operations and utilities among users have been agreed upon. They will be implemented at a later date.

Naeem said an Indian company had been contracted to manage waste disposal, and had submitted its Environmental Impact Assessment. “But we don’t know when that will start. There are deadlines, but I think [the council] is a bit behind,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Council is trying to manage the situation effectively in the short-term.

Among the parties implicated for the waste overflow were resorts, which lean heavily on Thilafushi’s services.

“Right now the issue is about management at Thilafushi,” said Hassan. “Of course there are issues with resorts but they are indirect, such as with transfer boats from outsourced parties.”

Hassan said that tourism regulations require resorts to have an Insinkerator system, a bottle crusher and compactor, and a long-term oil storage system. “Most resorts have the mechanisms but few use them,” he said. “Up until lately Thilafushi has worked well, so there was less incentive to operate their own machinery.”

Incinerators create smoke, and operating the machines is high-cost and highly specialised, Hassan explained. Resorts generally crush and condense waste, but “it’s not a total solution, it’s a step towards on-site management. Thilafushi is the ultimate destination,” he said.

The ministry today met with concerned parties, and enacted plans for immediate clean-up and to re-start operations. The EPA and the Environmental Ministry have agreed on the need to restore waste management operations as as soon as possible.

The clean-up operations will be overseen by Thilafushi Corporation and the city council.

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Fantasy fines official, health head remains at post, says Mayor

Male’ City Council’s Trade Section has fined Fantasy Bakers Rf 6500 (US$420) for selling goods produced with expired products, City Mayor Ali Manik has confirmed.

Earlier today, local media Haveeru reported that Council Health Section Manager Hassan ‘Jambu’ Afeef had ‘unofficially’ issued the Rf 6,500 fine, and was consequently stripped of his duties.

However Manik told Minivan News today that Afeef had not been removed from his duties.

“They are trying to damage my reputation,” Afeef claimed. “Currently I am on vacation and I will not respect any decision to suspend me.”

“Hassan is still with us, of course, he has not left his duties,” said the Mayor, who was puzzled by the question. “The Rf 6,500 fine was approved by the Council, so of course it is official.”

The Mayor said an additional Rf100,000 (US$6500) fine from the City Council may be “issued after the court case”, for which police are currently conducting an investigation of Bakers Fantasy on the Prosecutor General’s order.

The Mayor could not say if the court would also issue a fine to the company.

Speaking today to Minivan News, Afeef said media reports were “incorrectly based on false information provided by certain council members.”

“The council decided to fine Fantasy for Rf100,000. Officials from the Trade Section subsequently went to Fantasy and reduced the fine to Rf 6,500,” he said. “It was not me, and it should be noted that some of the council’s members are not very responsible and are not even not cooperating with responsible members of the council.”

He said the decision to reduce the fine to Rf ,500 was made by him, and that some council members are “generally uninformed of council activities.”

“I was told that I am attempting to damage a business and that it would give a bad name to the Fantasy stores when I brought the issue to the council,”’ he said. “I said ‘I’m working for the people,’ and that it was the citizens who eat the products and it is my responsibility to stop it.’”

Afeef said media had been informed of the council’s statements on the Fantasy issue and that council members responsible had since apologised to him.

“They called me and said I was right about the Fantasy issue and the next day they wanted to erase the minutes of that meeting, but I did not allow this,” he said. “I am an MDP councilor. If they taking a salary from the citizens’ money, they should be sincere to the citizens. This a setup to damage my reputation and good name,” Afeef claimed.

Afeef reiterated that he remains fully employed as head of the Council’s Health Section, which he said the President and First Lady regarded “as an important social institution.”

Bakers Fantasy was closed on October 28 by Male’ City Council. The council subsequently inspected three storehouses and Aioli Restaurant, which is owned by Fantasy Pvt. Ltd. Expired products were found in two of three storehouses, however Aioli was found clean.

Fantasy Store was closed by police for two days on November 7 while police searched for expired goods, but was re-opened in order to protect business operations. Police intervened after the store had ignored an order from Community Health Services, which has legal authority to order temporary closures.

Fantasy shops are known for imported products and quality produce, and are popular among locals and expatriates.

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Fantasy store investigation ongoing

Fantasy Store has re-opened after being closed for two days following the closure of its associated bakery, which was recently found to be using and selling expired products.

Bakers Fantasy was closed by Male’ City Council on October 28. The council subsequently inspected three storehouses and Aioli Restaurant, which is owned by Fantasy Pvt Ltd.

Fantasy shops are known for imported products and quality produce, and are popular among locals .

Speaking to local media Haveeru, councilor ‘Jambu’ Hassan Afeef said expired products were found in two of three storehouses, and that storehouses were not properly lit. All expired products were destroyed, he said.

Aioli’s inspection yielded no surprises, he added.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News that the police had been ordered by the Prosecutor General’s (PG) office to investigate the matter.

“Fantasy is still being investigated,” said Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam. “The police wanted to investigate the store to be 100 percent sure that nothing expired was being sold, and we have told the store that it can continue operations but cannot sell foods prepared on site.”

The bakery remains closed.

The operation has involved several public authorities. Police initially tried to get a court order to close down the bakery. However, Shiyam said a court order was not needed as the council could perform the closure directly.

Fantasy Store was closed by police after ignoring an order from Community Health Services, which has legal authority to order temporary closures.

“The police went to the administrative office with a search warrant, but the staff refused to open saying they didn’t have the authority,” said Shiyam. “Police called senior management, but they wouldn’t answer the calls. Police waited two hours before an official came to open the doors.

“At that point the police could have used force to open the doors, but they didn’t want to do that. We wanted a peaceful operation,” he said.

At the time, police removed expired goods including yogurts from Fantasy Store shelves. Shiyam said the police were sensitive to the business needs of the company and employees.

“We got all the necessary information for our investigation, and believe the store can operate under certain restrictions. We know that there is negative business impact if the store cannot operate, and don’t want to hurt the local economy,” he said.

Officials at the Prosecutor General’s Office and Health Ministry had not responded to inquiries at time of press.

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