The "Malé Fahi" programme, aimed at ensuring road safety and alleviating traffic congestion in the city, was officially inaugurated by president Dr. Muizzu at a ceremony held at Dharubaaruge on Wednesday night.

This program, developed by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, addresses the increasing traffic issues in the city through a series of strategic measures.

The "Malé Fahi" program, formulated in collaboration with the Urban Traffic De-Congestion Management Committee, will be implemented in three key phases.

These phases include the regulation of automobile registration, the limitation of vehicle numbers, the enhancement and development of public transportation, and the improvement of road safety and pedestrian conditions.

Following the inauguration, the President also unveiled a book detailing the "Malé Fahi" program.

As part of the initiative, the city council has commenced the process of determining the allowable number of road vehicles for registration and the duration of their usage.

The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation highlighted that, according to the law, city councils are responsible for setting the limits on the number of road vehicles that can be registered in specific areas and the period for which they can be used.

Although these regulations were not previously enforced due to implementation standards, amendments were made and gazetted in March last year to address these issues.

To further combat congestion, the Ministry has decided to end the practice of registering garages for vehicle registration and other business activities without the owner's knowledge.

Additionally, the city council is developing an integrated information system to provide detailed data on spaces registered as garages and those registered for business by the economic ministry.

Moreover, the Ministry plans to replace the existing RTL buses with smaller, more road-suitable buses and increase the frequency of bus routes to ensure a reliable scheduled service.

These steps aim to make public transportation more efficient and roads safer and more accessible for pedestrians.