The allocation of land plots has been reopened in Eydhafushi, Baa Atoll
Eydhafushi Island Council said that the decision to reopen the land allocation was taken due to issues in the previous land allocation regulations. The decision was also taken after the previous applications were cancelled by the council.
The allocation of land plots was first opened after more than thirty years. The government started working with the council in 2019 to find a solution to the housing problem on the island. As such, 158 plots of land were opened for applications on January 13, 2020.
Eydhafushi Island Council received a total of 662 applications for the land plots. The process came to a halt when the forms were validated and the provisional list was made public and opened for complaints. As such, two cases were filed in the Eydhafushi Magistrate Court alleging that points were awarded illegally. The court decided the council conducted the allocation process in violation of the regulations. Therefore, the council decided to reopen the opportunity to submit applications after abolishing the existing regulations as it would delay the allocation.
The last residential land plots from Eydhafushi were allocated over 30 years ago. As such, 659 land plots were allocated in 1989. The island has a population of 3,600 and the government has reclaimed a land area of 26 hectares in 2014 at a cost of USD8.2 million.