The Housing Ministry states that the Male' City Council has not revoked the deal it made with a private firm to create a modern market in the city, even though the firm requested to end it.

The Council has previously indicated that the inability to transfer the land necessary for the project was the reason the market development agreement, executed on 9 March 2023 with Hairu Engineering Consultancy Pvt Ltd, could not advance. The Council has stated that the land will be handed over to the Ministry only following the cancellation of the agreement with the company.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Ministry announced it had obtained information from Hairu Engineering Consultancy indicating that the firm consented to terminate the agreement unconditionally. Nevertheless, the Ministry stated that the Council has not canceled the agreement yet.

The Ministry stated that the government is executing the market redevelopment according to the design and plans created by the Council. It stated that the government needs to address the issues encountered by the public, since the Council has not made any progress in executing the project.

The Ministry stated that the company given the project by the Council has only built temporary stalls and has not performed any actual work, so there is no barrier to ending the contract.

The Council has asked the Local Government Authority (LGA) to facilitate negotiations in the disagreement with the Ministry, pointing out the Ministry’s unwillingness to meet, address the issue, or answer its correspondences.

The Council has stated that it will persist in collaborating to guarantee the project is executed in the public interest and adheres to the legal framework.