ROAD GIVES NAVATUSILA AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY - by Government Press

Government is aware of Navatusila as one of the most depressed and derived areas in so far as economic development is concerned.

With a total land mass of 12,120.47 HA, only 267 HA (2%) is under cultivation comprising root crops and yaqona, commodities, which are their only source of income.

Government is also fully aware of the high cost of transportation to the markets and the poor conditions of the road, factors that have compounded the hardship currently faced by the people of Navatusila and the neighbouring communities.

To this effect, a road was opened early this year in Navatusila to allow the villagers to travel freely to and fro.

The road is a realisation of a dream that Government has for the vanua of Navatusila.

The avowed objective of opening up the district of Navatusila, is to create the needed road access to the farms and markets for commodities.

The initial construction of the road was undertaken by loggers, mainly T.F.Jan who joined partnership with the Tui Navatusila to log indigenous timers in the late 1980s to the 1990s.

Subsequent Government’s have turned a blind eye to the plights of the people of Navatusila until 2003, when the Ministry of Provincial Development allocated $50,000 to upgrade the access road from Nagatagata to Nubutautau to facilitate the reconciliation process for the vanua of Navatusila with the family of the late Reverend Thomas Baker.

In January 2004, a Cabinet team led by the Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu visited the vanua of Navatusila which resulted in a concerted effort by Government to implement this road upgrading project.

The project which is to cost Government a little over $1 million, comes in two phases the first being valued at $500,000.

And this year, Government has allocated $600,000 to complete the second phase that will be undertaken to include, Mare, Nabutautau, Natoka and Nabuabua access roads.

The tikina of Navatusila is located approximately 33 kilometres south of Tavua town, 45 kilometres east of Nadi town and about 20 kilometres North of Keyasi Government station.

It consists of four villages and three settlements with a total population of 936.