Malé, Maldives — In a decisive move to reclaim public spaces, the Transport Ministry under President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration has ordered Male’ City Council to stop allocating and renting parking slots across the capital.
The directive comes after concerns over the increasing difficulty of utilizing public-purpose spaces on city streets. The ministry announced that the council must halt all rental activities for designated parking slots, which were initially allocated through a lottery system under Muizzu’s tenure as city mayor.
Nearly 1,000 applicants had competed for 450 parking spaces during the allocation process, but now, the administration insists on preserving the equitable use of public areas. Effective immediately, the city council is barred from renting out any parking slots, and existing contracts will not be renewed once they expire.
The ministry emphasized that the decision aims to ensure equal access to public spaces, underscoring the need for responsible management of Male’s overcrowded streets.