The Minister for Local Government, Housing and Community Development Hon. Premila Kumar has assured taxi operators operating in and around Tavua that her Ministry will review their request on having another taxi base.
This was after the Tavua Taxi Association met with Minister Kumar at the Tavua Town Council yesterday and informed her some of the pressing issues they were facing while based at their recent location.
Minister Kumar said she was aware of the issues being brought forward and assured them that the Ministry would relook at its town planning.
“I am not promising that we will do straight away as there are many stakeholders involved in this. But we can do a bit of planning and see which areas we can find in order to address your concerns.”
Meanwhile, while meeting the ratepayers, Minister Kumar acknowledged them for their continuous support towards the Council and for always being ready to assist.
She highlighted that Tavua has one of the smallest number of ratepayers in the country which is 247 and the Council collects around $63,000 in rates.
Minister Kumar urged ratepayers to ensure timely payment and emphasised that the last time their rates were increased was back in 2003.
The Minister stated that the Council is independent and should be able to work within its means but that the Fijian Government has now started to assist Councils in order to improve services provided to every Fijian.
Minister Kumar acknowledged the ratepayers for the initiatives provided by them in order to assist the Council with its services especially in helping those in need.
She also assured ratepayers that the Ministry will be looking at reviewing how festivals are conducted so that money raised during festivals can benefit towns hosting these events.