Fiji is fortunate to get a piece of land in Chanakyapuri in New Delhi, India as very few nations have been able to secure land to build their embassies there.

These were the comments by the Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Ashneel Sudhakar.

Mr Sudhakar was responding to a question posed by Government Member of Parliament, Sanjay Kirpal, who asked how the land at Thurston Gardens was allocated to the Indian High Commission and whether any consultation was done.

The minister responded saying the Suva City Council was approached by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry for Lands and Mineral Resources in 2014.

This was on the possibility of the council surrendering 6467 square metres of land near the Suva Museum, which is a portion of a total land area of 53,494 square metres.

Mr Sudhakar said the land would be utilised to build the Indian Embassy, chancery and cultural centre.

He said it was an unused part of the gardens currently and is used as a carpark.

Mr Sudhakar highlighted that subsequently the Indian Government allocated a piece of land for Fiji’s Embassy in India.

“At the time of the allocation in 2014 that portion of land in New Delhi was valued at US$55 million,” Mr Sudhakar said.

“Now it is somewhere around FJ$107million – FJ$110million. The land is situated in Chanakyapuri in New Delhi, the most prime area of Delhi where other diplomatic missions are located.”

Mr Sudhakar also mentioned that the location offers a range of benefits including new trade markets.

He stated that the land was State owned.

During Parliament sitting on December 1, 2014 the former Minister for Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola said the allocated piece of land beside the Fiji Museum was valued at about FJ$1.5 million.

Edited by Percy Kean

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