About a month after a series of break-ins at their home, an elderly couple living on Cumming Street in Suva say they still fear for their safety as a streetlight behind their building remains out and responsibility for repairing it remains unclear.
Mitesh Sutaria says he has contacted both the Suva City Council and the Fiji Roads Authority about the faulty streetlight along the Terry Walk side of their building, but each organisation has referred him to the other.
According to Sutaria, emails he received indicate that FRA considers the streetlight to be SCC's responsibility, while SCC maintains that it falls under FRA.
He says the situation has left him frustrated and confused, particularly as the area remains dark at night.
Sutaria says SCC has repaired a light near the public convenience beside their building, but the streetlight along the footpath behind the property remains out.
He says the lack of lighting is a major safety concern, especially after the break-ins, as people continue to gather around the area, particularly near the public convenience.
Sutaria says he sometimes feels unsafe walking around the area, including when going shopping nearby, because people often gather or sleep along the footpath.
Following the break-ins, he says he has water-blasted and cleaned the area around the building and installed barbed wire along the fence to improve security.
However, Sutaria says he and his wife remain worried that their home could be targeted again and have decided against travelling overseas for the time being because of their safety concerns.
He says he has also not received any major update from Police on the investigation into the break-ins.
Apart from the streetlight, Sutaria has raised concerns with SCC about a strong unpleasant smell coming from the public toilet beside their building.
He says the smell sometimes reaches their home and affects other tenants in the building.
Sutaria says residents pay city rates and expect public facilities to be regularly cleaned and maintained in a hygienic condition.
He is urgently calling on whichever organisation is responsible, SCC or FRA, to repair the streetlight and address the safety concerns of residents.
Questions have again been sent to SCC and FRA to clarify who is responsible for maintaining the streetlight and when it will be repaired.
Police have also been contacted for an update on the investigation into the break-ins.
