NAVUA will be declared a town next month.
Minister for Local Government Parveen Kumar said the processes for the declaration were completed.
He said to declare any district to township, there were certain processes to follow, including the set up of a local government committee.
“I am happy to say that the local government committee has done all the processes that were required of them and by the middle of next month we will declare Navua a town,” Mr Kumar said.
A population of 5000 or more is needed for an urban centre to be declared a town and Navua has exceeded this with a population of 6750 people.
Other requirements that need to be met are services such as a public bus bay, public convenience, market, its own hospital, good roads and its own local authority under the supervision of the provincial council.
Mr Kumar told Parliament in March last year that the declaration of Navua as a town was to have been made in September the same year.
That was in light of the remaining process of defining the boundaries of Navua Town, the population and the publication of the declaration and gazette including a two-month objection period.
He said that the joint committee led by the Office of the Commissioner Central and the members of the Navua Rural Local Authority, the two provincial councils of Serua and Namosi and the Navua community at large made a submission under Section 5 of the Local Government Act for the declaration of Navua Town after undertaking its process.
