Home Ministry has ordered the police to dismantle Usfasgandu area which has been issued to opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to hold its political activities by the Male City Council until the end of June this year. MDP has decorated the area with swings, benches and flags of the party color.
State Home Minister Mohamed Fayaz said on Sunday that the Ministry had ordered the police to follow through with assuming control over the Usfasgandu area from MDP and to hand over the place to Housing Ministry based on the legal opinion of the Attorney General after the City Council had failed to vacate the area.
Fayaz said that the Home Ministry believes that the area which has to be open for the public cannot be designated to a specific group.
He said that the Home Minister believes that Usfasgandu area should be vacated without delay as stated in the regulations and should be opened as a leisure area for the public.
“Hence we have requested the police to clear the area. A legal team from the police will look in to the matter along with the executive board and the commissioner of police before making a decision,†Fayaz said.
Police media official said that the police is reviewing the request by the Home Ministry and is considering the action which must be taken to clear the area. However the police did not disclose a date for dismantling the camp site.
“We (police) are considering the Home Ministry’s request and are exploring the options to clear the area and to execute the necessary action. The police will act within the contours of the law,†Official said.
Housing Ministry stated that an area assigned to the Male City Council to be open for the public, being leased to a political party to conduct their activities for an extended period of time, violated the terms of the lease of the area in the regulation. Housing Ministry informed that the council had ignored repeated instructions not to do so.
If a land out of the 32 land lots issued to the council is used against the specified terms, the land can be taken back as stated in the regulation.
However, the council states that the Usfasgandu area had not been used illegally and that MDP had been issued the area upon the same terms on which other parties are being issued space for political activities and that the area is being leased on a temporary basis.
The council stated that the permit was given after considering the current situation and to keep people from protesting on the streets of Male.
It added that this would keep the people from protesting on the roads and would also facilitate a proper platform to carry out political activities.
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