Carpenters Manager Properties, Daniel Whippy [left] during a press conference

An independent engineer is to be appointed to carry out daily inspections of the MHCC Complex and its adjoining tower which is under construction.

The directive from the Suva City Council to the Carpenters Group who own the property has come to light after several building issues were discovered.

Carpenters Manager Properties, Daniel Whippy says four columns in the complex are sinking and remedial work has begun to resolve the issues.

The cracked pavement an obvious indication of the building under stress which has led to the closure of the section, restructuring within the complex and the installation of safety props.

“Government wants an independent engineer, so we are trying to appoint somebody from New Zealand or Australia that will be available in the New Year. In the meantime, we are going to appoint a local engineer who’ll report directly to the council, work under SCC but at our expense so there’s that independence that all the cracks, all the stresses are correctly recorded and not concealed.”

Whippy maintains that according to their engineers and with joint inspections by the OHS unit and the SCC, the MHCC complex is safe and open to business.