Peceli Naviticoko 
Aerial shot of Labasa town. [File Photo]
The current arrangement for Labasa town’s existing infrastructure will need to be closely reviewed and monitored before more development takes place in the near future.
Labasa Chamber of Commerce President Vinesh Dayal says relocating infrastructure like bus stations and markets will need to be considered, as this has been causing a lot of traffic and congestion in Labasa town.
He says the current locations of the bus stand and market were not a challenge in the last 15 years, but that has changed due to developments and population numbers.
“Our town planning should immediately relook at the viability of having the bus station and the market at the existing location, because with the one-lane, two-lane main road going into the bus stand or across the bridge, you will notice that the buses coming from either side of the town, both sides of the town, are entering the same bus station. That is the biggest bottleneck.”
Dayal adds that a short-term solution would be another station on the other side of the river that would prevent buses from coming to the main bus station in town.
Labasa Town Council Special Administrator Samuela Ligairi, while acknowledging the concerns, states that Labasa is probably the fastest-growing town in terms of economic returns, and there is a need for another feasibility study to get the opinions of the public and the business community on the best suitable place if need be, for the bus stand to be relocated.
Meanwhile, the Labasa bus stand recently underwent an upgrade; however, the market adjacent to it is yet to be upgraded, with possibility of being relocated elsewhere.
