Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has begun discussions with Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to secure land for the revival of its long-awaited Hiyaa staff housing project, nearly a decade after the original scheme was announced.
Senior officials from the two state-owned companies met this week to discuss the allocation of land required to move the project forward.
MTCC Managing Director DCP (Retd.) Ahmed Saudy attended the meeting alongside members of the company’s senior management, while HDC was represented by Managing Director Brigadier General (Retd.) Ali Zuhair and other senior officials.
The latest discussions follow a request by MTCC to the President’s Office seeking land to restart the employee housing initiative. According to the company, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu subsequently instructed HDC through an official letter to allocate land for the project.
MTCC said it intends to move quickly with the development once the land allocation process is formally completed.
The housing initiative has particular significance for employees who had originally expected to receive housing through MTCC under the Hiyaa Housing Scheme launched during former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration.
MTCC’s own Hiyaa project dates back to 2017, when plans were announced to construct two residential towers in Hulhumalé Phase II specifically for company employees.
Under the original proposal, two 14-storey towers were to be developed with a combined 400 apartments at an estimated cost of MVR 439 million.
The planned housing mix included 160 one-bedroom apartments, 80 two-bedroom apartments and another 160 units designed with two bedrooms plus an additional room.
However, the proposed MTCC towers did not materialise, leaving employees who had been anticipating housing through the scheme waiting for years.
Acknowledging that history, MTCC said the failure to deliver the original towers had caused considerable disappointment among its workforce and that the company’s current board and management see reviving the initiative as an important employee welfare commitment.
“Appreciating the hard work of our dedicated staff, who labor day and night, remains a core priority for MTCC’s current management,” the company said.
MTCC described the progress towards securing land as encouraging news for employees who have waited for housing since the earlier Hiyaa initiative.
The company said the latest push to revive the project was initiated under Saudy’s management, with the matter taken to the President’s Office before instructions were issued for HDC to facilitate the required land.
Once a plot is formally allocated, MTCC said its management intends to complete the necessary arrangements and move towards commencing the project as soon as possible.
“We assure all employees that MTCC will remain steadfast in working toward their well-being and best interests,” the company said.
The original Hiyaa Housing Scheme was one of the largest housing initiatives undertaken during Yameen’s administration, with thousands of residential units developed in Hulhumalé Phase II under different categories.
While the wider Hiyaa scheme eventually resulted in the construction of numerous residential towers, MTCC’s separately planned employee towers were among the components that did not proceed as initially envisioned.
The latest discussions with HDC now represent a renewed attempt to deliver a dedicated housing project for MTCC employees, although the company has yet to announce the location of the proposed land, the number of apartments under the revived project, its estimated cost or a construction timeline.
