Monday, May 14, 2007

Maldives’ first housing policy to be opened up for public consultation

Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is to open Maldives' first ever housing policy for public consultation this month.

Minister Ibrahim Rafeeq on Saturday said that currently the government does not have a formalized policy on housing.

A draft of the housing policy has already been made and the ministry will open public consultation via workshops involving different sections of society and through the ministry's website.

"Public consultations can be a time consuming and expensive process. As many people (in Maldives) now have internet access, comments sent through the web can help save time," Rafeeq said in an exclusive interview to Haveeru Daily's English language weekly magazine, the Evening Weekly.

The United Nations' housing authority HABITAT provided consultancy and technical assistance in drafting the policy, according to Rafeeq.

"We can formally announce Maldives’ first housing policy in August or September 2007 at the latest," the minister said.

The policy will mainly deal with "broader issues" and action plans will be made under the policy to regulate housing and urban development.

The formalization of the housing policy along with its implementation will also help to get budget endorsed by the parliament to help the ministry regulate housing issues, Rafeeq said.

The Evening Weekly will publish the exclusive interview with Rafeeq in its edition which comes out on Tuesday.

Source: Haveeru

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