Ministry finalising legal steps for Navua Town proclamation

The Ministry of Local Government is finalising proclamation documents to officially declare Navua a town, with tenders for a market, bus stand, municipal office and town square expected to follow.

This was revealed yesterday by ministry permanent secretary Seema Sharma during the ministry’s submission on its 2019-2020 Annual Report.

A proclamation is a formal legal declaration by the government. In this case, it would officially recognise Navua as a gazetted town with its own municipal council, separate from the Lami Town Council, which currently oversees the area.

“We will finalise the scheme plan. We’re looking at the proclamation documentation, and also the tender for a market space, bus stand, a new municipal office, plus looking at basically a town square for Navua,” Ms Sharma said.

She said the transition from Lami to Navua as a standalone council also required by-laws to be put in place.

A by-law is a local rule made by a council to govern its area, covering matters such as waste collection, trading hours and public spaces.

Navua is a busy commercial and agricultural hub in Serua Province, south of Suva, and has long been earmarked for town status because of its growing population and economic activity.

No timeline was given for when the proclamation would be formally completed, but Ms Sharma said legal groundwork and planning were already underway.