Male' City Mayor Adam Azim said yesterday that providing essential services to residents will become difficult following the Finance Ministry's decision to slash MVR 19 million in allocated funding and legislative changes that divert vehicle fees away from the council.
Speaking at a meeting of the Male' City Council, Azim accused the government of taking actions to obstruct the council's operations. He noted that the loss of grants and vehicle fee revenue would hinder the council's ability to maintain mosques, which have been managed effectively until now.
"I want to inform the council members that the government is taking several steps that will make running this institution difficult. Moving forward, we will strive to operate as cost-effectively as possible," Azim said.
"However, I must highlight that we have been maintaining mosques to a high standard using the funds we receive. With the cutting of grants and vehicle fees, we will face challenges in continuing this maintenance."
The Mayor further explained that withholding funds due to the council would create obstacles in road construction projects, staff salary payments, and the maintenance of public housing flats.
Azim alleged that the current administration is actively hindering the council's efforts to fulfill its pledges to the people, noting that the government is even amending laws to achieve this.
"The public recognizes today that this council manages its funds well—building roads, maintaining mosques and flats, developing and caring for parks, and completing numerous street projects in Male' and Villimale'. I anticipate that the public will face many challenges due to these recent changes," the Mayor said.
Despite these setbacks, Azim assured that the Male' City Council would not lose hope and would continue working to serve the public with the resources available.
According to the approved budget, the City Council is entitled to MVR 19,285,734 as a block grant. However, Finance Ministry officials decided to cut MVR 19 million from this allocation, leaving the council with just MVR 285,734.
