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From The Jet Newspaper (16 August 2014) Road Machines for Kaduvu and Rotuma In any given area the use of machinery increases efficiency and productivity, the same applies to road development. In the outer islands Rotuma and Kadavu are about to recieve backhoe machines. Rotuma Depot Leading Hand Brian Kiare says "The backhoe will be very helpful with the drainage and site work, especially the resheeting work and the loading of sand".
In 2014, CARPTRAC successfully outbid other tenderers through a competitive tender process to secure a contract with the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA). Both machines were handed over to the Authority at the company's 85th anniversary last week Friday in Garden City, Raiwai. Mr Dale Nicholls the Maintenance Works Manager for Fiji Roads Authority says "It is expected that in many instances these backhoes will assist in being able to reopen the road within a few days; greatly improving the reliability and accessibility for the residents on these islands. Currently after heavy rain, slips occur blocking roads that are beyond the ability of the resources available on these two islands however with these machines the depot teams on the island will be able to undertake heavier drainage maintenance and clearing than is currently possible." Marika Ritova and Alifereti Vafoou are the two backhoe operators from these two islands who travelled to Suva to receive proper training on how to maintain, service and operate the machines before deploying to the Islands and both gentlemen agree that the new machines will greatly assist their teams. In total Fiji Roads Authority invested $319,665(VIP) in procuring these two backhoes for Rotuma and Kadavu. "For this tender, Carptrac outbid two other tenderers and in particular the machine they quoted on, the Caterpillar 422E, offered a high level of operator comfort and satisfied all of FRA's requirement; in addition to their keen pricing on a recognised and established brand" says Mr Nicholls.
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