The Male' city council has decided not to hand over a plot adjacent to the Vilimale' powerhouse for the State Electric Company (STELCO) to install a transformer.
The decision was made today at the 111th meeting of the council's fourth term.
STELCO wrote a letter to the council requesting a 30 feet by 30 feet plot adjacent to the island's powerhouse to keep a transformer to improve electricity provision in Vilimale'. The company asked the council to transfer the land's ownership.
Speaking during the council's discussion on the issue, Vilimale' Councillor Nahula Ali said a large area has already been provided to STELCO for the powerhouse. The company was seeking an adjacent plot in order to increase the size of its land, she alleged.
"They already have a quite large area. They have also requested a very large area. And that is from the adjacent plot, too. What I see is that they're trying to increase the space by adding a portion from the adjacent plot to the land they already have," she said.
The Vilimale' constituency's council member said she does not support expanding STELCO's land. The transformer could be kept elsewhere, she said.
Galolhu Uthuru Councillor Mohamed Saif Fathih criticized STELCO's requests for land to keep transformers in various locations across the Male' region. He questioned whether STELCO lacked a long-term plan for installing transformers.
"Isn't there a plan for Male's electricity and increasing capacity in line with the growth in population? Does [STELCO] know at the start of the week that there will be power cuts if a transformer is not kept at the end of the week?" Saif asked.
STELCO's transformer in Maaveyo Magu was not installed safely, he said.
Saif also said that plots handed over to STELCO for transformers were being used for other commercial purposes.
STELCO has been expressing concern over delays in securing regulatory approvals from the city council for various tasks. But the city council blames STELCO's actions for the delays.
