Parliament of the Maldives has passed the motion to abolish the Maldives Transport Authority (MTA) with 52 votes in favour.
In April, the motion was proposed on behalf of the government to nullify the Maldives Transport Authority Act and transfer the resources of MTA to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. The motion was proposed following public complaints of slow and inadequate services being provided by the authority.
The joint committee had met with senior officials of MTA, transport ministry, Local Government Authority (LGA), and Attorney General's Office (AGO) before formulating its report approving the motion.
Former President Abdulla Yameen abolished the Ministry of Transport and Communication in 2014 and transferred its work and responsibilities to various other state entities. He ratified the Maldives Transport Authority Act in 2016 and transferred a large portion of the responsibilities previously held by the transport ministry to MTA. However, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih created the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation and has made efforts to make services provided by the ministry easier and more efficient.
The transport ministry has stated the decision to abolish MTA was made due to overriding mandates in both institutions.