Minister of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam has revealed the allocation of prices for the flats built under the Hiya housing project have been sent for review of the Auditor General’s Office, to ensure the prices were allocated fairly.
The government recently announced changes to the prices of Hiya flats to be paid on a monthly basis by recipients. As such, the government announced recipients will be paying USD 550 per month, which includes maintenance fees. The previous administration had announced the flats will be issued at USD 360 per month.
Speaking at a press conference held to provide information on the ongoing efforts between the housing ministry and Male’ City Council to review the prices allocated for Hiya flats, Minister Aslam said prices that had previously been allocated for the flats were based on construction fee, and did not properly factor in the repayment of loans and Equated Monthly Installments (EMI) payments. Noting the expenses are to be managed by the government, the minister said the expenses cannot be managed without considering these factors. He noted land price has not been included in the price, even after the changes.
The housing minister further noted the price allocation has been submitted for review of the Auditor General’s Office, by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC). He said the aim of the review is to guarantee that the price allocation is fair and just for the recipients of Hiya flats.
Speaking at the press conference, Mayor of Male’ City Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, who was the housing minister when the Hiya flats were first issued back in 2018, stated the city council is trying to ensure that the new prices allocated by the government are suitable for a social housing project. The mayor said the city council will work with the government to bring down the price as much as possible, and provide means to ease the financial burden of interior renovation and construction if the prices cannot be lowered.
The government has decided to begin signing agreements with Hiya flat recipients on July 15. The government states the flats are expected to be handed over to recipients by the end of next month.