New Government station brings relief for villagers
Paying more than $200 to hire a boat to go to Vunisea will be a thing of the past for villagers along Mua-i- cake in Kadavu.
Previously about 4,389 villagers from the Districts of Ono, Nakasaleka, Yale and Naceva had to travel all the way to Vunisea to access Government services.
An inevitable affair too costly for them.
The opening of the $1.2 million newly constructed Kavala Administration Office with quarters in Wainikaculoa yesterday has brought the services closer to villagers and given them relief.
Fifty-year-old Miliakere Bati of Solotavui Village said, some of the services they needed access to were birth certificate, marriage registration, bill payments, licence procurethat proved ment and other services.
“The new station is of great help to us and we are so happy it’s built here,” Ms Bati said.
“It’s always difficult when we want to do weddings we have to go to Vunisea for the legal marriage and then return.”
She said villagers usually waited for others to join before they pitched in to jointly hire a boat. They can’t go to Vunisea anytime they wanted because of cost issues.
Boat charges are at the sole discre
tion of the boat owners.
While opening the office, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama mentioned that Justice of Peace and social welfare services will also be based there.
He said while Kavala was separated from Suva by less than 100 kilometres the stretch of sea makes it vast.
And while Suva grew and developed, Kavala and much of Kadavu did not see that same pace of progress.
“For decades, the development of your communities was an afterthought and never a priority. But those days are over,” Mr Bainimarama told villagers gathered.
“I do not believe in a Fiji where services are an ocean away from the people who depend on them. I do not believe in a Fiji where Fijians in maritime communities have to pack their bags, board a ferry, and stay with friends and family or pay for a hotel on Viti Levu just to access Government services. In the case of Kadavu, I do not believe one Government station in Vunisea should serve all of Fiji’s fourth largest island.”
Within Government’s means, he said they aim to uplift rural and maritime communities to higher standards of living, to provide water, electricity, infrastructure among other services.
In addition, a fibreglass boat was also handed over from the Government of Japan.