Forty-four families squatting on a 10 acre land in Calia, Navua, are in the process of relocating to Wainadoi.

This was after they were issued with a court order to vacate the land.

The land  is owned by local businessman James Ah Koy via his company, Kelton Investments Limited.

Company managing director, Anthony Ah Koy, said the land was a freehold agricultural land, and it would be fenced off and used for farming export agricultural products once the squatters have relocated to their new residential lots in Wainadoi.

“We have tried to work with the Government and the squatters for the past five years to secure permanent locations where they own their own land, and this is now a reality,” said Mr Ah Koy.

Mr Ah Koy said the Government had allocated 58x quarter acre lots in Wainadoi to be given to the 44 families free, if they apply.

“It’s a 99 year brand new Crown Leases.”

Kelton he said understood that 33 of the 44 families had applied and been granted 1/4 acre 99 year State leases.

“Kelton is assisting Government with earth-moving tasks, using its own machinery to clear the land for Government to peg these new lots, so that the families can relocate to their allocated leases.”

He said they had initially hoped for an orderly and amicable relocation off the freehold land, but they were forced to resort to the court of law on the advice of Government, as the squatters were initially unwilling to co-operate with Kelton and Government to receive their free State lease lots.

“The squatters called the Navua Police to remove the Government officials who were seeking to meet with the squatters on Kelton’s land, for the purpose of collecting data to allocate State land to the squatter families.”

Kelton has now won three successive judgments against the squatters.

One of the squatters, Manueli Ligairi, 59, said they had no choice, but to move reluctantly.

“Calia was better because it was close to Navua Town, hospital, school and our churches.

“In Wainadoi, it’s further away and we can either go to Suva or Navua, but the distance either way is longer,” he said.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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