There was a war of words in Parliament again today after Minister for Sugar Charan Jeath Singh referred to Opposition MP, Rinesh Sharma as a “kid”.
The Opposition MP called him out for his remark.
Sharma also questioned him on whether he admits that it was an act of negligence by his ministry in relation to the fire at the Rarawai Mill in Ba, saying that video footage showed bagasse scattered all over the ground, which contributed to the spread of the fire.
In response, Singh explained that one cannot expect a Minister to be sitting in the FSC compound, as his job is to make policies for the Government.
Meanwhile, Singh says the Fiji Sugar Corporation has begun major fire prevention and disaster resilience reforms across all three of its mills in Labasa, Lautoka, and Ba, following the devastating fire at Rarawai Mill earlier this year.
While responding to a question from Opposition MP Viam Pillay, he says the FSC had undertaken a comprehensive review to strengthen fire prevention systems, operational contingency plans, and disaster resilience infrastructure.
He says the sugar mills are over 140 years old, with much of the technology now outdated, making continuous maintenance and modernisation critical.
Singh says each mill will now operate under a site-specific emergency response plan.
He says Labasa Mill has introduced a factory-wide siren system to trigger evacuation in the event of a fire, supported by backup water pumps.
He adds that Rarawai Mill has expanded its disaster contingency plan to include detailed flood and cyclone response protocols, which are regularly tested through simulation exercises.
