The government has revoked the flat allocations of 450 individuals previously included in the list of 4,000 beneficiaries under the former administration's "Gedhoruveriya" housing scheme, citing a failure to meet eligibility criteria.
Speaking at a press conference today, Housing Minister Abdulla Muththalib said that these flats have been reclaimed and reallocated to rightful applicants.
"There are still some cases that have not been fully finalized. I recall the figure being around 460. As the process is ongoing, a few cases remain pending. Therefore, approximately 450 applications have been invalidated so far," he said.
Muththalib explained that individuals who were found ineligible for three-bedroom apartments had their allocations revoked and reassigned to qualified applicants. He added that arrangements have been made to transition some of these individuals to two-bedroom flats where appropriate.
While the previous administration had finalized the list of flat recipients, the current government decided to review the allocations. Although a newly formed committee initially drafted a revised list, the government later decided to proceed based on the original list.
The decision to revoke these allocations comes despite opposition from the "Fahi Union," an association advocating for the rights of flat recipients. The union maintains that since agreements had already been signed, the government cannot legally reclaim the flats without a court order.
