Ihavandhoo island Council has announced that it will be donating plots of land to the island's residents in the upcoming year.

While speaking to a RaajjeMV, the Ihavandhoo island council president, Mohamed Rasheed revealed that the delay in issuing the land plots was a huge concern of the island's residents, hence, issuing these plots even after 13 years has been a huge relief for them.

He further attributed the delay to politics, especially from parties that were attempting to provide personal gain to a third party.

According to Rasheed, the council has undertaken the work of reviewing the temporary list of candidates for the plots of land that have submitted complaints regarding the tally of points. He declared that the final list will be publicized by December 15th at the latest and that the plots will be issued during the upcoming new year.

While the number of 1600 acre plots available for issue amounts to a total of 200, Rasheed disclosed that 457 candidates have submitted applications.

Rasheed further addressed the issue of space constraints on the island and revealed plans to reclaim 22 hectares of land on the island, next year.

He stated that the land reclamation will not only resolve issues with housing but with various other challenges as well.

The council also claims that the island, with a population of approximately 3400 people, was heavily neglected during former President Abdulla Yameen's regime.