Purpose of This Petition
This petition will be used to urge the People’s Majlis to conduct an immediate investigation and enforce public oversight of Olhu Hiyaa, the government-run cat shelter in Hulhumalé, operated under The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare with funds from the state budget.

Although this shelter was established to provide a humane and long-term solution to the stray cat crisis in Malé, it has so far failed to deliver on its core promises. It operates with minimal transparency, unclear budgeting, and almost no public communication, leaving citizens confused and concerned.

Issues of Concern
  1. Lack of Financial Transparency
 The shelter operates on an annual budget of MVR 10.8 million, which includes:

MVR 700,000/month in recurring costs
MVR 1.2 million in initial development (non-recurrent) costs

Source https://themaldivesjournal.com/81411

However, the public has been given no access to: 

Who is employed, for what roles, and at what salary
What percentage of the budget goes toward actual animal care
 
With fewer than 30 cats currently housed, the per-cat cost is grossly inflated.
 

2. Underutilization of Facility
 Built to house 2,000 cats, the shelter currently houses only a tiny fraction of this number. The number of strays in Malé has dropped drastically (over 80% missing) with no proper explanation.
 

3. Lack of Clarity of operations 
 There is no data published regarding how many cats have been:

Captured
Neutered or treated
Rehomed, euthanized, or released
 
 4. Lack of Communication
There have been no consistent public updates, operational reports, or official channels where citizens can inquire about the facility. The public has been given no instructions on how they can bring cats to the facility either. 

Our Demands
 1. Full Financial Transparency
 Public release of:

Full budget breakdown (quarterly/annual)
Staff list: total number of employees, their roles, salaries, and hiring dates
Spending reports for veterinary services, food, maintenance, and administration
 
 2. Monthly Operational Reports
 A public report updated monthly with:

Total cats housed, admitted, treated, neutered, adopted, or euthanized
Details of TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) operations across Malé
Veterinary procedures and welfare tracking
 

3. Communication & Accessibility
 Launch and maintain:

An official website or social media page for updates
A public hotline or email contact for inquiries and complaints
Monthly public bulletins or press releases
 

4. Establish External Oversight
 Create an Independent Oversight Committee made up of:

Veterinary professionals
City Council representatives
Animal welfare NGOs 
Citizen representatives
 Mandate annual public audits and allow NGO access to inspect the facility