Nadi Chamber demands infrastructure fixes before city declaration

Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Lawrence Kumar has questioned the Government's push to declare Nadi a city while major infrastructure problems remain unresolved, including a flood alleviation project estimated to cost up to $1 billion.

Mr Kumar challenged the urgency of the proposed declaration during a stakeholder consultation at Nadi Civic Centre on Friday evening, arguing that flooding, poor infrastructure and unfulfilled development promises should be addressed first.

“Why is there a rush to declare Nadi a city? Do we even have basic infrastructure in place to declare Nadi a city?” Mr Kumar said.

He said the estimated cost of the Nadi flood alleviation project, now between $900 million and $1 billion, highlighted the scale of the challenges facing the town.

“Flood alleviation project has been ongoing for the number of years. Years and years, we've been talking about it. And the update today is $900 million to a billion dollars.”

Mr Kumar warned that further delays in addressing flooding could increase the cost of the project.

He also questioned the lack of progress on two recreational parks that the council had indicated would be developed following a consultation in January 2025.

According to Mr Kumar, work was expected to begin within two months of that consultation, but had yet to start more than a year and a half later.

“We continue to be given promises every now and then. Nothing gets delivered. And here we are, trying to rush into declaration of a city,” he said.

Chamber opposes rush

Mr Kumar said flooding, cleanliness and inadequate infrastructure raised serious questions about Nadi's readiness for city status.

He also referred to a poll conducted through the chamber's Viber group, saying everyone who voted opposed the proposed declaration.

He suggested postponing the move until 2027, when Nadi Town marks its 80th anniversary, to allow time for infrastructure improvements.

“Let's not rush it. We still have time. Fix the things. Fix our infrastructure. Then we'll do this.”

Minister defends declaration

However, Minister for Housing and Local Government Maciu Nalumisa defended the proposed declaration, saying it had the support of traditional leaders and Government.

“The simple answer is this. We have the blessings of the chiefs, who we need to respect, as well as the blessings of the government. That's the simple answer to that. So, we need to go ahead with that,” Mr Nalumisa said.

He said the initiative also had support from members of the community and corporate bodies.

“Not only the chiefs, but we got many people here who are supporters as well as some corporate bodies who are supporting this initiative.”