In 1984, re-elected Nadi Mayor Councillor Manu Patel sought to pay particular attention to beautifying the town.
An article published by The Fiji Times on January 6 that year said Mr Patel’s priorities were the collection of rate arrears and upgrading of the Queens Rd between the town and Nadi airport.
Mr Patel outlined his plans the day following his re-election as mayor for the eighth year.
He said the town council had been gearing up to begin a major drive to beautify the town, including the strip to the airport.
Mr Patel said the Regent Hotel offered trees, plants and other help to the council to give the town a green look.
The article stated owners of several vacant blocks in the town had also agreed to allow planting to be done on their land and that plant islands were being created.
Mr Patel said major efforts would be made to recover about $400,000 outstanding rates for the previous eight years.
Two major defaulters owed more than $150,000, but Mr Patel said most of the money would be recovered the following year.
“We are trying to upgrade our finance section to see that special emphasis is paid on collecting the arrears,” he said.
Mr Patel said he thought the time was not right to begin the fourth stage of the council’s commercial development complex.
He said due to the depressed economic conditions, it was difficult to get tenants to settle their arrears, but he hoped for an early recovery to allow the project to be re-considered.
The fourth stage involved the construction of the first floor to house the council’s own offices, with 14 other office spaces to let out on rent.
Seventeen shops were built in the first stage, 11 in the second stage and a theatre in the third.
On the upgrading of the Queen’s Rd between the airport and town, Mr Patel said: “I feel we have to really get on to the Government to upgrade the road.”
He said in view of increasing traffic, the road had to be widened at places and property sealed and marked.
The council would also have to upgrade the hospital road, improve drains inherited from boundary extensions at Martintar and Namaka and install streetlights in four new divisions.
This newspaper further reported that as part of income-generating moves, the council hoped to put up buildings on three lots it had at its industrial site.
