Agreements to be signed next week with 4000 flat recipients

Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Dr Abdulla Muththalib has announced that agreements with the recipients of 4000 flats under the Gedhoruveriya housing scheme will be signed from next week onwards.

Speaking at the sixth edition of the 'Ahaa Forum' - a public forum where citizens can directly pose questions to cabinet ministers - Muththalib said that the a final list of recipients for the 4000 flats being built by Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation (FDC) has now been compiled. Administrative work on agreement signing is in progress now, he said.

However, the agreements by FDC have not been finalized yet, according to the minister. The ministry is working with the Attorney General's Office to do so.

"I am very certain that we can commence agreement signing within the coming week," Muththalib said.

A location has been set for the agreement signing, which is being prepared now with tents and seating. FDC is also working on administrative steps that need to be taken ahead of the signing.

The flat agreements will be made for a period of 25 years. Under a rent-to-own scheme, recipients will own the flats after rent for this period is fully paid.

Housing Ministry has said that only 1,820 of the recipients on the previous government's list meets eligibility criteria. The government reviewed the list after multiple complaints from the public. However, the current decision is to issue flats as per that list, excluding persons deemed ineligible.