One of the key concerns for the Fiji Corrections Service is the availability of land for burials, and according to the Deputy Commissioner of Corrections, Auta Moceisuva, the Nasinu burial site will be fully exhausted in 15 years.
While making submissions to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights on the Burial and Cremation (Amendment) Act 2025, Moceisuva says they have raised this concern with the Ministry and the Minister for Justice, and on average, they conduct 10 to 12 burials a day.
He says the main public burial sites are starting to fill up and there is a need for intervention.
The Deputy Commissioner says TLTB has indicated that the landowners around major town areas in the country are reluctant to release their land for burial purposes, as this type of undertaking drives the cost of land in prime areas down.
He says one good example is in Balawa, which sits right on a prime residential area, but because of the burial ground, it is not attractive to the public.
Moceisuva says they have also been advised by TLTB that there is a piece of land available in Namosi, but it is still under discussion at the moment.
He adds that if they have to shift to Namosi, then they need to provide a prison that is in proximity to this allocation.
He says they are not sure whether the location is close to the Queen’s Highway.
Meanwhile, the Tui Namosi Ratu Suliano Matanitobua has told fijivillage News that this issue will be discussed in the Bose Vanua next week.
The Bose Vanua will be held next Tuesday at Veivatuloa Village, in Namosi.
