The residents of Navosai in Narere have requested for proper access to basic amenities such as health, water and transportation.
These concerns were raised at the National Development Plan (NDP) consultations last night.
Retired nurse, Mereani Yaranamua said her main concern was for Government to have a long-term plan on water access to residents in her community.
“My main concern is proper water supply for my area. There have been water shortages in the past few months. This is a good initiative by Government to reach out to the people and they should do that more often to find out what the people want,” Ms Yaranamua said.
The sixty-two year old grandmother also added that street lights are another issue which the town councils need to maintain.
“This is a highly populated area with lot of settlements and at night the street lights are not working. These are basic services that need to be maintained and properly monitored by authorities and I want the Government to put in place plans for proper management of towns and cities.”
Navosai Methodist Church pastor, Josese Muriwaqa said populated areas such as Valelevu and Makoi needed bigger health centers.
“The plan for the next five years should be to build hospitals for these areas because of the population. Residents would not have to travel to Suva and it will cater for services more efficiently,” Mr Muriwaqa said.
The forty-nine year old priest added that road upgrade is another issue that the residents wanted to raise with the NDP team.
“We are thankful to Government for the current road upgrades but priority should be given to certain areas that need more attention. If town councils handle road upgrade projects for their area then it will better serve the community.”
Ministry of Finance Senior Economic Planning Officer, Mitieli Cama said this week is the last week of NDP consultations for the Central Division and residents are urged to attend consultations in their areas.
“We are left with Nadawa and nearby areas, Lagilagi and Jittu settlement, Nasole and Tutaleva settlement for this week,” Mr Cama said.