More than 50 families of Nanuku Settlement in Vatuwaqa have been given 30 days from June 23 to vacate the area.
Speaking to the families yesterday, Minister for Housing and Local Government Maciu Nalumisa gave the assurance that Government would assist in any way possible, following concerns from the residents they could be forced to leave the settlement.
“They were really concerned because they didn’t know where they stood, whether the owner of the land would actually evacuate them by the 23 of this month,” Mr Nalumisa said.
He said the ministry was in discussions with the Bhindhi Brothers, requesting additional time to identify and develop suitable land before residents were relocated.
Mr Nalumisa said the ministry would conduct a survey over the next two weeks to determine how many residents had received eviction notices and assess their housing needs.
He said some families may qualify for housing assistance through revised first-home ownership grants to assist with moving the families.
Mr Nalumisa said the Government was also working with other landowners overeviction notices issued to residents on land owned by the Fiji Muslim League and other informal settlements.
Mr Nalumisa clarified that the documents served on Nanuku residents were notices to vacate issued by solicitors and were not court orders.
