The substantial amount of complaints received by the Ministry of National Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure regarding the final list of recipients of flats in the first round of the Gedhoruveriyaa Scheme has prompted the Ministry to make significant revisions to the list.
The Gedhoruveriyaa Housing Scheme was opened by the Ministry of National Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure to allocate 4,000 flats under development at Hulhumale’ Phase II. 20,697 individuals applied for the scheme, of which more than 13,000 were deemed eligible for the flats.
The criteria for allocation called for individuals to score above 76 marks to receive three-bedroom flats, and above 73 marks to receive two-bedroom flats. Upon the publication of the final list of recipients, the ministry received a lot of backlash and criticism- accusations were also made to the ministry of awarding points without considering the living conditions of the applicants. Protests of crowds outside the Ministry, along with public objections and allegations prompted the Ministry to open submissions for complaints regarding the final list until November 10th. As such, they received 7,521 complaints by the deadline. The Ministry addressed public concerns regarding point allocation, stating that the individuals were listed based on their applications- and that Ministry officials also visited some of the applicants in their homes. The Minister of State for National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure; Akram Kamaluddeen backed these claims, stating that the complaints are currently under investigation with completion due in the near future. No details were provided regarding when the revised lists may be published after completion of the investigation. However, the Ministry assured commitment to completing the investigation and allocating flats to the recipients before the end of the current administration. The matter is currently being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission in response to public concerns and criticism.