SCC in the dark over development projects

June 02, 2008 12:17:01 PM

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Two major developments in Fiji’s capital are on hold as the Suva City Council continues to await word from the interim Government.

According to the SCC, no response has been forthcoming from the regime on a proposal to develop the Suva market and the bus station.

SCC director engineering services Jagdish Singh said the proposal would have seen a total overhaul of the two structures.

“For that (development) we had done a feasibility study, carried out over the last seven years. It had progressed to a stage where we had called tenders, appointed a project manager and a project architect. We were in the process of calling for tenders for the geo technical investigation, topographical survey, the quantity surveyors.

“We were on the verge of awarding the tender when the project was stopped, again by the interim government,” Singh explained.

“We were asked to do a Cabinet paper to justify the project. We did that, and to date we have had no formal response from Government as to what they intend to do, whether they are going to support the project or shelve it altogether.”

Singh believes that the foreshore and the market projects are viable even now.

He added the Ministry of Public Enterprise had hired consultant’s, the Beca Group to look at projects which qualified under the PPP (private public partnership programme).

They looked at several government projects and statutory bodies where they could safely get involved in and participate, he noted.

“There were 60 projects in Fiji they were looking at that was narrowed down to 10 and then to six. In a meeting this February, it had been narrowed down to three and the Suva Market Development was ranked number one.

“After the coup, the backers had disappeared but they came again, to see the project.

“So while one arm of government is saying this is the best project that the SCC has in hand, the other arm is saying stop, don’t develop.

“We have done our bit but we are the local arm of the central government. We have to follow orders.
 
“So while we had all these exciting plans in the pipeline unfortunately it has been stalled.”

Some ongoing projects include developments like the Tappoos complex near the Suva Market, the Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority complex in Nasese, the Great Council of Chiefs complex also in Nasese, the last two on the verge of completion. 

The MHCC’s second stage development (the development of 14 levels tower office complex), which was stopped due to a change in financial regulations by the Reserve Bank of Fiji is expected to commence early next year.

A proposed major project is a development by Carpenters Group on the Suva foreshore on its 10 acres of land behind the Fiji Development Bank. Currently, the land is being reclaimed. Singh believes that when the economy improves, the group would build either a hotel or an apartment block. This also looks likely to be a multi million dollar project.