Letters To The Editor, 23rd May, 2017
Maintenance of utilities
Chandra Prakash Singh, Suva
As a ratepayer of Caubati Housing (Nasinu) area for the past 21 years, I am really concerned about the number of times potholes are been patched up in this locality.
From the main road, before reaching my home at Lot 5, Sivi Road; I have to turn my vehicle left, turn right to enter Caubati Road, turn right in Cakacaka Road, turn right to Matau Road and then turn left to Sivi Road before parking my vehicle in my garage.
Road Repair: There are many hotspots along the road:
1.Starting from the front of the Chinese shop,
- When turning right to Caubati Road,
- Just a few metres before the Caubati Markaz signboard,
- Just a few metres before turning in Cakacaka Road,
- When turning right into Matau Road and
- When turning left in Sivi Road.
These hotspots are riddled with potholes. The same problems along the locations mentioned has been recurring for more than five years. The roundabout into Sivi Road had constant pothole problems, but Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) workers carried out proper maintenance work in 2015 and that portion of the road is in good shape.
Now buses can easily do a three-point turn and drive down this road.
Traffic issues: I have also observed traffic congestion in the Caubati Housing area. I notice taxis, buses, delivery trucks, mini vans, private vehicles and others causing huge traffic from the morning.
The FRA have undertaken maintenance work yet the same problem appears frequently. In the end a considerable amount of taxpayers’ money is spent on this capital works project again and again.
The areas mentioned need a thorough inspection by road engineers to determine the real cause of the problems and find the best solution to avoid having to spend a lot of money to rectify the problem.
I am not an expert in road maintenance but perhaps the areas (smaller in length) need to be dug up, re-built and re-sealed using a method called bitumen modification.
Street lights: The installation of lights is still the responsibility of FRA and electrical contractors have been assigned to install new lights and repair faulty ones.
The contractors should during the night check whether lights function along the roads and streets. They should not wait for ratepayers to call and inform them about faulty lights. A more pro-active role is needed to speed up the process.
Repair work needs to be done as soon as possible so that it illuminates the streets, surrounding areas and movement of people can be easily seen.
Roadside erosion: Caubati Road from the starting point up to Cakacaka Road and towards the end of Matau Road really needs to be redone properly along the eroded areas (left/right) so that there is a long term solution rather than a band aid solution.
This will enable incoming /outgoing vehicles to move safely without having to stop to give way to each other because roads have become narrow in some places due to erosion.
Footpaths: FRA should seriously consider constructing footpaths along Caubati Road up to Cakacaka Road so that it is safer for pedestrians to walk at all times.
A lot of people on daily basis use that portion of the road and many times pedestrians have to stop alongside the roads to give way to vehicles.
It is about time FRA looks into the above issues and find better solutions for the betterment of drivers, pedestrians and ratepayers of Caubati Housing area.
Politicians
Sukha Singh, Labasa
US President Donald Trump has been in office for only a few months and still claims he is the most badly treated politician in history, and yet we have people running the country for over a decade, but still don’t claim to be politicians.
Ongoing TV technical issues
Amrit Singh, Nausori
It’s very frustrating to watch Fiji One because its transmission breaks and also the picture quality is blurred for some time now. Upon contacting Fiji One, the only reply we get is that the transmitter has been fixed.
I wonder, if it has been fixed, then why are the advertisements still blurry? I hope the advertisers are getting what they paid for.
Also another problem is that on FBC TV, during the day Brand Star and Aljazeera News is played and the previous shows are children’s programmes.
The same applies to Fiji One. The Brand Star programme is repeated so many times promoting the same products. I recommend that our free-to-air channels improve quality of what they give us to watch.
We do not want to watch the same shows repeatedly. It is an eyesore and it is boring. What happened to Walesi? Why is FBC Plus showing the same programmes as FBC TV?
It is my humble request to our Minister for Communication and Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum to please look into this technical glitch.
