Good news for more than ten households in Rokosalasei Village in Seaqaqa as a newly constructed foot-crossing and vehicle bridge was commissioned yesterday by Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development, Waterways and Environment Dr. Mahendra Reddy.

57-year-old Rokosalasei villager Tuvici Saro says this is a very big help to villagers as the whole village faced difficulty in crossing, especially children and women, who had no choice but to cross over on a piece of timber and a coconut trunk.

Saro says villagers used to carry their household items like shopping across a piece of timber or tree trunk, which posed risks during adverse weather.

He adds now as children and elderly people of the village will be able to move around easily in the village.

The foot crossing bridge will also consist of solar lights which will allow the villagers to cross safely during the evening.

Meanwhile, Dr. Reddy says rural and maritime communities play a very critical role in the overall growth and development agenda of Fiji and that is where most of the critical primary economic activity such as agriculture takes place.

Dr. Reddy says it is therefore imperative that they reach out to them and provide them with the basic infrastructure that will contribute towards their development.

He elaborated over the next three years, more projects for rural and maritime communities are expected to be carried out as these remained key priorities for the three Ministry’s under his portfolio.

The Acting Prime Minister adds the crossing is not simply a link between one side of the creek to the other, but a connection between the community and the rest of the country.