Suva City Council will build permanent mini-markets at Flagstaff, Raiwaqa and Mead Road as satellite markets outside the main municipal market.

Tenders for the designs closed on Friday. Suva and Lami special administrator chair, Isikeli Tikoduadua, said they would finalise the designs soon. The construction cost will also be determined by the design chosen for each mini market.

Currently, the three said locations have structures set up by vendors.

As the municipal council responsible, Mr Tikoduadua said they wanted to ensure that all amenities were provided.

“Sanitation and safety is very important for us and we want to do away with structures that are unsafe. Even the Prime Minister has announced this,” he said.

“Apart from proper markets, toilets and parking would be provided. These things are very important.

“And we have started to advise illegal market vendors that their illegal structures would be removed. On one side, we are trying to beautify Suva, but then we have people coming up with such structures.”

The council has also learned that some vendors who use illegal structures are not even from Suva.

Along Mead Road, the vendors outside the MaxValu supermarket in Tamavua will be asked to move once the market is built.

Land for the mini-market has been identified at Mead Road, not far from where the illegal structures are located along with the road reserves.

The satellite market setup, which opened to reduce congestion, has proved that consumer behaviour can change.

Mr Tikoduadua said the temporary setup at the My Suva Picnic Park will be removed in due course.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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