Qarase denies claims

The plans for the Official Prime Minister's home to be built by the Qarase led government has been made public with estimates of the costs for the construction of the official residence.

Plans that were prepared for the proposed new residence back in November 2006 have been revealed with estimates for the construction of the home and various facilities.

The total amount stands at $6.44 million dollars.

The estimates include $1.4 million for the construction of a 892.5 square meter Public Entertainment area, a semi private residence costing $1.52 million, a swimming pool valued at $400,000, a $130,000 bose vakatunuloa or meeting house, a $140,000 driveway and car parking area, a $150,000 security system, a stand by generator and pump worth $120,000, consultancy fees amounting to $585,500, mechanical services amounting to $200,000 and a 1,675 meters block work boundary fence valued at $850,000.

The design plans were made in November 2006 and the estimates are based on requests forwarded in September last year when Qarase was in power.

There were no approved figures in place for the official house to be built so I do not know why there is a lot of fuss over the plan to build an official residence for the Prime Minister.

Those are the words of Ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase who  said that the Interim Prime Minister should realize that plans were not even drawn up for the new residence.

However, Qarase said that he was not aware of what the officials at the PM's office were working on as far as the new residence is concerned.