In his weekly radio address, President Mohamed Nasheed has discussed the importance of land use planning for a sustainable economy.
He said to make the best use of land, land use planning which took into account everyone’s interests was needed.
Noting that land was one of the most important assets of the country, the President said one of the purposes of a land use plan was to facilitate housing opportunities for all citizens.
Other purposes of land use planning were to provide equal economic opportunities and minimise negative impacts on the environment and the people, he added.
In his radio address, the President also spoke on how land was historically used in the Maldives. He also discussed several provisions of the Maldives Land Act which was passed in 2002.
Stressing the need to identify better economic uses of the sandbanks near resort islands, the President said “the government will in the neat future create a register of all the sandbanks and small islands”.
Outlining some of the works that the government was doing toward land use planning and challenges, the President said the unused or abandoned land in the islands posed difficulties.
The President continued, “There are grievances because while some reclaim vast swaths of land and exploit them for economic benefits, the state or the public do not get due profits.” He added it was important to include all such issues in the plan.
President Nasheed stated that the Cabinet was working on a framework on land, in light of relevant laws, regulations, and other historical documents.
“The aim is to pave the way for equitable and economically profitable use of land for all citizens.”
