Parliamentarians have emphasised that the sustainable provision of basic services relies on the establishment of urban centres. The discussion was held during a parliamentary debate on the Urban Development Bill, introduced by Parliamentarian Azim Abdul Azeez.
In discussing the bill, Parliamentarian Azim highlighted the absence of a legal framework governing the development of areas. As such, he said that the proposed Urban Development Bill aims to enable the provision of basic services in a planned and sustainable way when developing urban areas. He also noted the negative effects of past developments that lacked proper planning, citing Male City as an example, which was developed without a long-term urban plan, leading to overcrowding.
Additionally, Azim pointed out the challenge of providing sustainable basic services across all the islands in the Maldives, noting that it is costly to establish such services in some islands, and some schools have had to close due to a lack of students. He also emphasised that the planned urban centres would greatly benefit the residents of the country.
Meanwhile, Parliamentarian Munthazim Ibrahim underscored the importance of the Urban Development Bill for an island nation like the Maldives. He highlighted that more than 54 islands in the country have populations of fewer than 500 individuals. He argued that providing basic services on every island would impose a significant financial burden on the government. He also said that by creating well-planned urban centres, the government could reduce expenditures while still delivering quality services to a larger population.
Moreover, Parliamentarian Mohamed Musthafa Ibrahim criticised the past development of Male', noting that it lacked a proper urban development plan. He stressed the need for well-planned regional development in the future and criticised the previous government for allocating land without a plan. He also said that the new bill would put an end to such unplanned land allocations.
The bill received wide support from many parliamentarians, however, parliamentarians of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spoke against it.