Malé City Council Seeks Court Order to Halt Transfer of Powers to Transport Office

The Malé City Council has decided to seek a temporary court order to halt the transfer of its powers to the newly established 'Greater Malé Transport and Mobility Office' (GMTMO). The decision was made during an official public session of the council held today, passing with the consensus of all 13 councillors present. Council member for Maafannu Uturu constituency, Hussein Furshaan, stated that the GMTMO was created under amendments to the Urban Transport Act, and that there were discrepancies between the office's mandates and the work currently undertaken by the council. He noted that the council had reassigned or relinquished its legal responsibilities to a certain extent and that a legal challenge against the provisions of the amended act was necessary. Furshaan also raised constitutional questions, arguing that transferring responsibilities traditionally carried out by the elected council to an office under the central government was problematic under the Local Government Act, which governs decentralised administration. Mayor Adam Azim alleged that the government has been erecting numerous obstacles for the council in fulfilling its legal responsibilities, particularly during a period when the council was doing a good job of repairing roads, cleaning drains, and maintaining trees. He previously stated that with the changes to the act, the council would lose MVR 10 million per month. The Urban Transport Act, passed by the current government, began implementation last month and includes a special chapter for the Malé area. Article 101 establishes a 'Transport Mobility Fund' to plan and manage urban transport matters, and an office responsible for traffic management in the Malé area has also been established.