The Parliament’s Decentralization Committee last night passed a bill amending the Decentralization Act to allow lands within councils’ jurisdiction to be brought under state authority for the implementation of government development projects.

The bill, submitted by pro-government independent MP for Thulhaadhoo constituency Abdul Hannan Aboobakuru, was passed by the committee without regard to petitions submitted calling both for its withdrawal and for its passage. However, an amendment was added stipulating that if a council or a third party has made an investment in the land, compensation determined by the Ministry of Finance shall be paid.

Under the bill, the Cabinet may decide to designate a piece of land within a council’s jurisdiction for the implementation of a government project. Upon notification from the national authority to the council, the land shall be removed from the council’s ownership and transferred to a place under the full authority of the state. Furthermore, even if an island’s Physical Development Plan has not been approved, councils will be obliged to hand over land required for government projects to the national authority.

In addition, the bill includes changes to the law preventing councils from making decisions that, without reasonable cause, obstruct projects the government carries out for the collective benefit of the public. According to the bill’s sponsor, its purpose is to ensure, through a legal framework, the full cooperation of councils in advancing government development projects at a rapid pace.