China Railway First Group (Fiji) Company Limited has worked hard to successfully complete the Nabouwalu-Dreketi Highway project in the given timeframe.

The entire management and the company headquarters in Xi’an, China, are delighted to have the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama officially open the 70 kilometre sealed road with 14 bridges of high quality.

This was a $228 million project which began on March 2013.

China Railway First Group (Fiji) Limited Company spokesperson Donald Singh said the benefits of this newly-upgraded road would be felt by the country’s economy.

“However, the immediate benefits will be felt by the residents along the Nabouwalu to Dreketi to Labasa highway,” Mr Singh said.

He said bus companies now operate more confidently with minimal repair and maintenance costs.

“School children reach school in time, farmers can transport their produce faster to the market while maintaining post-harvest quality of the fresh produce,” Mr Singh said.

“Investors will be more confident investing in the region due to better accessibility,” he added.

Mr Singh said continued upgrading of major road networks in the Northern Division would see even a higher level of confidence in the area.

Dealing with Employment

In terms of the workers’ employment status since the project has been completed, Mr Singh said some workers have already been deployed to other projects in Viti Levu, however, this was only a small number of workers.

“Most of the project workers will have to be laid off, which is rather unfortunate,” Mr Singh said.

“During the peak of the Nabouwalu to Dreketi road upgrading project works, we had more than 500 local workers.
“Hundreds of locals were also employed for shorter periods compared to the workers who were around for the duration of the project.”
“The project, due to its scale, has been a direct and also indirect source of income for a significant part of the population of the Northern Division.”

Edited by: Rachna Lal
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