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The Mayor of Male', Dr. Mohamed Muizzu today met with officials of the Hiyaa Union, and listened to concerns of residents living in the Hiyaa flats in Hulhumale'.

The biggest concern that was raised at today's meeting was the government's decision to commence rent payments to coincide with the holy month of Ramadan, adding to the financial burden of residents. Furthermore, officials also noted that residents had to pay large sums of money to undertake finishing work on their flats, leading many into serious financial crisis. They noted that repeated appeals to the government to provide a solution for this matter had fallen on deaf ears.

Hiyaa Union officials informed the Mayor that residents were facing major difficulties as a result of the haphazard manner in which the government had undertaken road development work around the Hiyaa high rises. They pointed out that there was no street lighting or pavements for pedestrians on these roads. Furthermore, a lack of any road markings had led to disorganised parking on these new roads.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Hiyaa Union Amzal and the organisation's Finance Officer Abdul Sattar.

Speaking at the meeting, Amzal thanked the Mayor for his responsiveness and said that the Male' City Council had given them hope in their endeavours to improve the lives of residents in Hiyaa flats.

At the meeting, Hiyaa Union also expressed concern over the HDC's decision to stop collecting garbage from the area, leading to serious accumulation of waste in the area.

Issues related to Hiyaa had been shared with the Mayor by numerous individuals and concerned NGOs, and these issues had been lodged with government authorities as well. Solutions had, however, not been forthcoming.