Small towns demand fair share in road upgrades

The Tavua Town Council has called on the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) to give equal attention to smaller municipalities, like Tavua and Rakiraki that have long struggled with neglected roads and delayed maintenance compared to larger urban centres.

The issue was raised during the council’s submission to the Standing Committee on Social Affairs yesterday, where representatives voiced frustration over the lack of consistent road upgrades and infrastructure support from FRA.

Council acting chief executive officer Sireli Korovulavula said small towns were often treated as ‘invisible’ when it came to development priorities.

“One thing that bothers me greatly is the way small councils are being treated. The major focus is on big municipalities like Suva, Nadi, and Lautoka. But for towns like Tavua, Rakiraki, Levuka and Savusavu, we just grab whatever is given to us,” Mr Korovulavula said.

He added that while FRA was responsible for maintaining public roads, smaller councils were often left to push for attention. “It’s not automatic. We have to keep urging them that Tavua is still a town,” he said.

Opposition Member of Parliament Praveen Bala acknowledged that many residents are still unsure of which authority handles road complaints.

“What is your structure in place to deal with such complaints?” Mr Bala asked. In response, Mr Korovulavula said the council maintains regular communication with FRA but continues to face delays.

“It takes time to get them to do the job, but we always act on complaints from the public,” he said.

Town special administrator Rajendra Raglu acknowledged that their communication with FRA’s Western Division officials is good, the issue often comes down to funding and planning schedules.

“The challenge is timing. FRA works according to their budget, so we have to wait for our turn,” Mr Raglu said.

Mr Bala suggests that Parliament recommend stronger coordination between the FRA and local councils so that small municipalities are not left behind in infrastructure development.

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