Criticising the government for the ongoing saga of withholding the allocated 2022 budget of the Male' City Council, the Deputy Mayor of Male' Ahmed Narysh has called the government's modus operandi an "embarrassment that is unbecoming of a central government".
On his official twitter account, the Deputy Mayor singled out Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail for his refusal to facilitate the implementation of the key Male' City Council Strategic Action Plan objective to establish the Local Authority Company of the City Council.
Deputy Mayor Narysh noted that there was no rational explanation behind or plausible justification for the Economic Ministry's continued delay in granting the necessary permits for the formation of the Company, which is mandated to the Council by the Decentralisation Act.
Speaking at the recent 45th sitting of the Council, Narysh also said that the government's failure to follow up on its assurance to explore new avenues for funding for the Male' City Council was deeply disturbing.
The lack of support and assistance of the government has also been raised by Mayor Dr. Muizzu on numerous occasions. Noting that the Economic Ministry had not responded to the Council's written submission for legal permits to set up the Local Authority Company for over four months, the Mayor had emphasised that the Company was a prerequisite, among other projects, to providing much-needed housing for needy residents of the capital.
He had also expressed his bitter disappointment over the government's hostile attitude towards the City Council's insistence on delivering the programmes and projects in their Strategic Action Plan.