President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ratified the first amendment bill to the Uninhabited Islands Act, which requires authorities to hold discussions with the atoll council prior to leasing an uninhabited island in its jurisdiction.
Parliamentarian Ahmed Abdulla proposed the amendment bill to the Regulation on Uninhabited Islands in order to improve on the current regulations that conflict with the amendments to the Decentralisation Act. The bill proposed to amend 13 articles and allow the local councils to lease and receive revenue from the uninhabited islands under their jurisdiction. It also states that an island can be leased for fisheries, agricultural, or industrial purposes by the relevant ministry after it holds discussions with the representative atoll council.
The bill grants the authority to island and city councils to govern, according to set rules and regulations, the lease of uninhabited islands in their respective jurisdictions. The bill also prohibits leaseholders from re-leasing, renting, and commissioning supervision and maintenance work to third parties. The bill, however, allows leaseholders to employ staff for supervisory and maintenance work. In addition, the bill specifies visitor policies, including barring leaseholders from charging a visitor's fee. It also defines instances when lease agreements can be terminated.
The bill grants six months from the date of ratification to draw up new regulations and amend existing ones that pertain to the law. The bill has been published in the Government Gazette and is now in effect.