IT has been confirmed that claims made by Mr Tevita Ralulu – a landowner and chairman of Tilivasewa Essence – the company representing Mataqali Tilivasewa in Tavua Village is baseless and therefore incorrect.
According to a Fiji Times reporter named Mr Felix Chaudhary, Mataqali Tilivasewa made a proposal to develop the land where the Tavua Market and surrounding areas are situated and had lodged an application to lease Lot 1 RR 651 (Pt. of) CT 6159 two years ago.
However, Mr Ralulu said he was surprised when he saw an advertisement in the Fiji Sun on November 3 last year where Local Government Minister Mr Parveen Kumar Bala had put out an advertisement proposing to rezone the same property from Residential ‘B’ and Open Space to Civic (Mini-Market), Civic (community development), residential upgrading, general industrial and commercial ‘C’. According to Mr Ralulu, the Tavua landowners were baffled by Mr Bala’s advertisement because they had applied for the land before the proposal or advertisement was put out by Mr Bala.
As far as TLTB is concerned Mr Ralulu is claiming land where the Tavua Market is located and other surrounding areas which were acquired by the State in March 1956 and registered in 1957.
TLTB can confirm that Lot 1 RR 651 CT 6159, seem to be two pieces of land. CT is the reference used for freehold land. The survey plan RR 651 Lot 1 is within NG 199, which is the state land that was acquired from Mataqali Tilivasewa by the state and referred to above by Mr Ralulu in his claim.