Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Aishath Nahula has stated efforts are underway to introduce vehicle quotas in order to control the number of vehicles in all regions of the Maldives.
Speaking at the Government Oversight Committee of the Parliament of the Maldives, Minister Nahula said the ministry plans to introduce a quota system to limit the number of vehicles imported to the Maldives. The minister noted a special paper on controlling the number of vehicles was submitted by the ministry to the parliament a few months after the current administration assumed power. She added the ministry has formulated a plan to invalidate the permits issued for vehicles which are above a certain age or are no longer in a condition to be used.
Speaking further, the transport minister said the biggest challenge in introducing vehicle quotas would be to minimise the damage on taxi drivers whose livelihood depends on the income they generate from driving. She said the ministry is working on introducing a system to release loans for taxi drivers to import a new vehicle under the registration of the old vehicle which is to be confiscated.
Furthermore, the transport minister noted the ministry is working towards a solution for the parking difficulties in Male’ City, in collaboration with Maldives Police Service, Male’ City Council and the Ministry of Planning and National Infrastructure. She said projects to resolve parking issues have been planned and budgeted for the year, although most of the projects are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.