The government has said that 14 land plots taken from the Male’ City Council were reclaimed because projects on them had stalled and the sites were not being used productively.
Officials argued that the land is required for urban development and infrastructure that serve a wider public interest. They pointed to recent changes in the law that allow the Cabinet to reallocate council land under certain conditions.
The Male’ City Council has rejected this explanation and is preparing legal action, describing the move as an overreach that damages local autonomy and revenue.
The exchange has intensified debate over the balance between central-government priorities and the powers of elected local councils in the capital.