Nadi is to be declared Fiji’s third city in October this year.

This was confirmed by the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Local Government, Housing and Community Development, Premila Kumar, in Nadi yesterday.

“As you know in order to declare a city there are certain requirements. One, increasing population, but besides that we need to extend the boundary, include more people in the city boundary,” she said.

Ms Kumar added that the declaration had been overdue for the past two years.

“We have to make sure that you provide them with roads, footpaths, lights and garbage collection services etc.

“That takes time and that was a reason we could not declare Nadi a city. Why October? Because we are ready. We are almost there,” she said.

Ms Kumar added that Nadi Town Council and the committee responsible had been updating her on the work they have carried out so far.

Fiji National Development Plan

On the national scale, Fiji’s National Development Plan (NDP) has the vision for “transforming Fiji”. It maps out the way forward for Fiji to realise its full potential as a nation.

“The Fijian Government is committed to address urbanisation concerns through integrated planning, strengthening urban governance, balancing rural urban developments and scrapping rural local authorities,” she added

“We all know the importance of adopting a multi-sectoral planning and implementation at all levels to manage rapid urban growth.

“In Fiji, we know that without long-term Urban Master Plans, we will continue to have a piecemeal approach, an approach that does not match our National Development Goals and the dreams of our people.”

She added that the Master Plan would provide a road map for all future development decisions in the cities and towns to guide and coordinate various government agencies and 13 municipal councils in carrying out development works.

“Every nation needs to have its national and local government urban infrastructure well planned; it must be in the right place and built to the highest quality standard,” Ms Kumar said. “Our citizens need to be assured that development will be sustainable and to be sustainable, development needs to be strategic and well planned.”

Edited by Epineri Vula

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