‘Projects for Roads, Water to Continue’
All Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) projects will continue as scheduled. The reassurance was made by its chief executive officer, Kamal Prasad, yesterday, following claims that a contractor had dismissed all his staff because of the uncertain future of the FRA.
The coalition Government is working on bringing back a more modernised Public Works Department (PWD) that will coexist with the FRA.
Mr Prasad said the interest of its staff including contractors were at the interest of the Public Work ministry.
“He will tread very carefully in moving forward,” Mr Prasad said. “The FRA and the PWD can coexist and complement each other’s work.”
On Tuesday, Mr Prasad had no clear indication of what would become of the FRA when the PWD becomes operational.
He said he did not see a move for the Government to close the FRA ‘overnight’.
Line minister, Ro Filipe Tuisawau, said he would not do away with the FRA.
“I will not just come in and change, we do things for a reason, especially to improve efficiency and effectiveness and what would be the most optimum way of doing things with our limited budget,” he said in a press statement. Meanwhile, the Water Authority of Fiji chief operating officer, Seru Soderberg, said all its capital works were continuing and progressing as normal.
This comes as the ministry is reallocating all its funding for the remainder of the financial year, to prioritise its infrastructural works.
“There has been no instruction of such nature given to WAF to halt works with regards to our capital projects,” he said.