TANANGADA EXPLAINS MOVE TO NEW OFFICE BUILDING

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The decision to relocate the entire Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) to a new rented Office building at Ranadi in East Honiara was made for a number of genuine reasons.

The Minister for Rural Development Hon. Jimson Tanangada explained the relocation exercise following continued calls by the Opposition Leader in both Parliament and the media in recent weeks.

Hon. Tanangada said the run-down state of the former SMI Building coupled with lack of space to accommodate the 200 staff members of the Ministry are amongst the reasons for their decision to relocate early this year.

He explained that the former SMI Building is very old and heavily invested with termites with continued leakages during wet seasons which have caused ongoing damages to office equipment, files and other properties.

Furthermore, as a result of the old state of the SMI building, there were threats of fire hazards due to electrical defects which have caused a fire incident during the 2016 Christmas period.

According to Minister Tanangada, the newly built Office building at Ranadi has been identified by a specially selected Ministerial Committee based on its suitability to accommodate the entire MRD staff, proper parking spaces, proper storage space for materials and equipment for constituency projects, its closeness to major project suppliers and service providers and its modern setting and safety standards.

Besides, Hon Tanangada said a proper inspection by relevant officials has been conducted and the building was certified prior to the MRD occupation.

The monthly rental for the new office building is SB$245,000.00 compared to SB$131,000.00 for the old SMI building. This is an increase of $113,800.00 per month which covers both the ground and top floors of the entire building.

Minister Tanangada said concerns with the increased rental are genuine but his officials have foreseen this critical need last year has made budgetary allocations to meet this rental cost.

The Minister has played down suspicions of corrupt dealings in the relocation exercise and has encouraged anyone who is not satisfied with his explanation to direct their concerns to relevant authorities such as the police or courts to address.

ENDS///

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