CAPTION: PM Bainimarama meets a Sigatoka farmer last week. Photo: MINFO.
The recent visit by the Prime Minister to a farmer in Sigatoka regarding land leases will now see more than 17,000 state land tenants given the opportunity to voice their concerns with the Ministry of Lands or liaise on any issue regarding state land leasing and licensing.
Over the weekend Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama visited Mr Latchmaiya of Sigatoka and assured the farmer that any issue regarding land leasing and payments would be looked into.
That visit prompted the Prime Minister who is also the Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources to immediately instruct a team of officials to visit homes and hear first hand their concerns.
The Ministry of Lands in response has advertised a list of areas in the western division where tenants will be requested to attend the face-to-face consultations.
The Ministry of Lands permanent secretary Mr Tevita Boseiwaqa has called on tenants and other stakeholders in the Western Division to heed to the PM’s message to “talk to the right people” to address their concerns.
“I would encourage them (tenants and stakeholders) to come forward because as the Prime Minister has stressed, you need to talk to the right people and the right people are coming down,” he said.
“The officials will be listening to their concerns, giving advice and if possible solving their problems right there and then.”
The face to face consultation begins from Sigatoka at the District Officers office on February 4, 2013 and moves on to Nadi the next day at the DO Nadi’s office.
Similarly, the Commissioner Western’s Office in Lautoka on February 6 and DO’s office in Ba and Rakiraki on February 7 and 8 will also provide people the same opportunity.
Mr Boseiwaqa said the four division’s will be covered in the first quarter with the first consultation being held in the West as the State has the largest number of tenants.
“We will be going back to the West in the next two weeks since in the first round we might miss out some people and this will also be like a follow-up for us,” he said.
A copy of the consultations schedule can be accessed at : http://fiji.gov.fj/index.php?
MINFO