The Ministry of Housing and Community Development reiterates that the Lot Allocation Policy will ensure that the lots in an upgraded settlement will be allocated in a transparent and fair manner.
In response to a statement made by the President of the Waidamudamu Development Committee Mehboob Ali, the Permanent Secretary Sanjeeva Perera said that the main intention of the Policy review is to ensure that the Government Housing Assistance reaches out to low income earning Fijians and not to those who already own a property or they can afford to buy a property.
“This policy will stop people from obtaining subsidised lots as a second property. So if anyone is intending to profiteer from the upgrade program or trying to take undue advantage, this new policy will curb such efforts and only genuine cases will benefit. Comprehensive “means tests” recommended in this new policy will curb any opportunists. Otherwise, the Policy is there for those who genuinely need the Government’s assistance to improve their quality of lives and they will not miss out,” Mr. Perera stated.
The Permanent Secretary elaborated on many cases in Waidamudamu where people living elsewhere had rented out houses and also cases where houses were sold illegally. He also confirmed that these cases were confirmed by the recent socio economic survey conducted by the Ministry.
“The new policy will act as a deterrent and we anticipated that such people may object to this proposed policy. From our verification survey, we can also see the size of some houses in Waidamudamu, which clearly demonstrates their income levels and ability to afford housing elsewhere in formal subdivisions” the Permanent Secretary said.
Mr. Perera also stated that on 10 November of this year, the Minister for Housing and Community Development, Hon. Premila Kumar visited the community at Waidamudamu, to explain the Policy in detail.
“The Hon. Minister visited Waidamudamu even before the Public Consultation started. During that community visit, the team from the Ministry clearly explained the Policy to the community members and answered their questions as well. The community members were happy with the explanation given. So, the comments from the President just two weeks after, come as a bit of a surprise to us,” stated Mr. Perera.
He added that the Ministry will be organising another session for residents of Waidamudamu on sections of the Policy which are not clear to them.
The Waidamudamu project which is almost completed is one of the three projects ready for lot allotment. The Fijian Government is spending over $5.2 million on this upgrade project which includes, roads, drains, sewerage, electricity and water supply.