Local Government Authority (LGA) Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Nimal has said the amendments to the Decentralisation Act will not harm local councils.
CEO Nimal made the remarks while speaking on Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu programme "Ahaashey Bunaanan".
Under the amendments, the Cabinet may remove land or other areas from a council's jurisdiction when the Government requires them for development projects. The Government may also take land or other areas needed for such projects before an island or city's physical development plan receives approval and implementation begins.
Responding to claims that the changes would harm councils, CEO Nimal said no council or other party had presented a substantive argument to support them. He said the LGA's role was to ensure that councils operate in accordance with the rules and that the authority would continue to fulfil that responsibility.
CEO Nimal said he saw nothing in the legal changes that would prevent councils from functioning and argued that the amendments would instead benefit the public.
“I do not know why those councils are saying otherwise. I do not see anything here that would stop councils from functioning or force them to close their doors. What I see is that these changes will bring significant benefits to the public,” CEO Nimal said.
He said the amendment allowing the Government to take land under council jurisdiction for development projects was intended to ensure the greatest possible benefit to the public. CEO Nimal also rejected claims that granting the Government this authority amounted to centralising powers.
Drawing on his visits to islands and observations of local circumstances, CEO Nimal said councils did not always use island land in the most beneficial way. He said those claiming that the amendment would harm the public did not understand how such matters worked in practice.
“If an independent evaluation were carried out, it would show that land in very prime locations has been allocated in ways that do not benefit the public. At the same time, there are difficulties in obtaining land to carry out good projects,” CEO Nimal said.
CEO Nimal said the public would ultimately bear the consequences if development projects did not proceed, regardless of which Government was in office. He therefore maintained that the Decentralisation Act should operate in a way that benefits the public.
Turning to council recruitment, CEO Nimal also addressed changes requiring councils to inform the LGA when hiring employees. He said the procedure was not changed to disadvantage councils, but was introduced with good intentions to protect them from potential harm.