Praneeta Prakash 
Permanent Secretary, Seema Sharma [ Source:Parliament of the Republic of Fiji]
A three way meeting is being proposed to discuss a way forward on the incomplete Lautoka Swimming Pool project.
Local Government Permanent Secretary, Seema Sharma highlighted this while making submissions to the Standing Committee on Social Affairs on the Ministry’s 2018-2019 Annual Report.
Sharma says the report on a peer review done in the 2021/2022 financial year is currently being deliberated.
“As of our meeting yesterday with the Ministry of Finance we proposed to have a three way meeting with the consultants plus the Lautoka city council to come up with a way forward on this project. It needs to be completed.”
According to the Local Government Ministry, the cost of the pool escalated from the initial budgeted amount of $2 million to $12.6 million.
Minister Maciu Nalumisa had earlier confirmed that the initial project was for two swimming pools which included a competition pool with international compliance and a community pool with associated facilities, at an estimated cost of $2 million.
The changes by the local government ministry increased the project cost estimates from $2 million to $7.8 million, and when the tender for the construction was called and quotations were received, the actual project cost reached $12.6 million.
The concept of the Lautoka Swimming Pool was approved in January 2017.
Documents in relation to this was also filed in parliament during the April sitting.
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