President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday ratified the Fifth Amendment to the Land Transport Act (5/2009). Parliament passed the bill at its 44th sitting of the third session of 2021, held on Monday, November 29, 2021.
The amendment bill includes addition of section 49-1, subsequent to Section 49 of the legislation, stipulating the specification and delegation to respective administrative divisions of cities, atolls, and islands of services provided by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. It also specifies that the ministry and relevant institutions should provide the funds, resources, and assistance required by the local councils to provide those services. According to the amendment, the regulations made subsequent to this Act should also specify the manner in which the assistance would be provided.
The amendment also adds three more Subsections (t), (u), and (v), subsequent to Section 70 Subsection (s), providing definitions of city, atoll, and island councils. The regulations pertaining to the amendment should be drawn up or amended and published in the Government Gazette within six months of the ratification of the bill.
Following ratification, the bill has been published in the Government Gazette and has come into effect.