"The house with the huge concrete wall across the road has also been vacant for months now and neglected. That concrete wall was put up only about a year ago at a huge cost to USP. It would have easily cost some $100,000 because the soapstone cliff face had to be levelled off before the wall could be erected. Workers were out there for months working on the wall.Since then the house has been left to disuse. One wonders why USP is wasting money and allowing prime properties to be neglected in this manner. It is a sheer
waste of public money (as USP is funded by overseas donors and Fiji and regional governments)...one wonders what USP's highly paid property managers are doing?"
Surprising that the authorities at USP are about to embark on a grandiose scheme to build a shopping mall along Laucala Bay Road while a number of their prime properties in the area are going to rack and ruin (refer to photos above).
The two properties pictured are on prime locations on Varani Street but have been unoccupied for some years and grossly neglected.
The first house on 28 Varani Street is virtually falling apart and has been boarded up for three years or more after the last tenant left. It is an eyesore with long overgrown grass and unkept compound which serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases; broken down fences are a security risk for neighbouring households as criminals tend to use it to trespass into nearby properties.
When complaints were lodged with the Health authorities, they complained that other USP properties in the area are similarly neglected, posing a health hazard to neighbours.
The house with the huge concrete wall across the road has also been vacant for months now and neglected. That concrete wall was put up only about a year ago at a huge cost to USP. It would have easily cost some $100,000 because the soapstone cliff face had to be levelled off before the wall could be erected. Workers were out there for months working on the wall.. Since then the house has been left to disuse.
One wonders why USP is wasting money and allowing prime properties to be neglected in this manner. It is a sheer waste of public money ( as USP is funded by overseas donors and Fiji and regional governments).
While these prime properties are allowed to deteriorate, USP is about to launch into an ambitious plan for a shopping mall on its property bordering along Laucala Bay Road across from McDonalds.
What is the need for another huge shopping mall in an area that is already serviced by Sports City, Damodar City and Cost U Less?
We understand both students and lecturers are upset with the scheme as it will completely cut them off from access to the existing shopping complexes as the entrance to USP will be shifted to Queen Elizabeth Drive once the shopping complex comes underway.
Why is USP venturing into such hare-brained schemes when it should be concentrating on its core business of providing quality university education to students.
As it is, there are complaints that graduates are sub-standard and lack the skills required by the market.
Getting back to the abandoned houses, one wonders what USP's highly paid property managers are doing?
Fijileaks: The USP authorities are yet to comment to our questions regarding FLP's allegations.
The two properties pictured are on prime locations on Varani Street but have been unoccupied for some years and grossly neglected.
The first house on 28 Varani Street is virtually falling apart and has been boarded up for three years or more after the last tenant left. It is an eyesore with long overgrown grass and unkept compound which serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases; broken down fences are a security risk for neighbouring households as criminals tend to use it to trespass into nearby properties.
When complaints were lodged with the Health authorities, they complained that other USP properties in the area are similarly neglected, posing a health hazard to neighbours.
The house with the huge concrete wall across the road has also been vacant for months now and neglected. That concrete wall was put up only about a year ago at a huge cost to USP. It would have easily cost some $100,000 because the soapstone cliff face had to be levelled off before the wall could be erected. Workers were out there for months working on the wall.. Since then the house has been left to disuse.
One wonders why USP is wasting money and allowing prime properties to be neglected in this manner. It is a sheer waste of public money ( as USP is funded by overseas donors and Fiji and regional governments).
While these prime properties are allowed to deteriorate, USP is about to launch into an ambitious plan for a shopping mall on its property bordering along Laucala Bay Road across from McDonalds.
What is the need for another huge shopping mall in an area that is already serviced by Sports City, Damodar City and Cost U Less?
We understand both students and lecturers are upset with the scheme as it will completely cut them off from access to the existing shopping complexes as the entrance to USP will be shifted to Queen Elizabeth Drive once the shopping complex comes underway.
Why is USP venturing into such hare-brained schemes when it should be concentrating on its core business of providing quality university education to students.
As it is, there are complaints that graduates are sub-standard and lack the skills required by the market.
Getting back to the abandoned houses, one wonders what USP's highly paid property managers are doing?
Fijileaks: The USP authorities are yet to comment to our questions regarding FLP's allegations.
From Fijileaks Archive, 19 May 2015
http://www.fijileaks.com/home/broke-usp-doesnt-have-22million-to-fix-existing-accommodations
