Lautoka is undergoing a visible facelift as the city steps up preparations for the national cleaner city competition, with judging now scheduled to begin in May or June. The Lautoka City Council has launched an extensive beautification and maintenance program aimed at improving the city’s appearance and infrastructure ahead of the assessment.
Council head of services Shailend Singh said crews had been working “very actively” since the competition was announced and that residents would already have noticed the difference in many parts of the city. “You might have seen around the city that we’ve done all the water blasting, you can see that all look like new,” Singh said. He confirmed the council had commenced painting the city mall for the first time in 20 years as part of the upgrades.
The council’s works include exterior painting of the mall, upgrades to perimeter walls and repairs around key intersections and roundabouts. Singh said landscaping efforts were under way, with new trees, yellow-flowering shrubs and palm trees being planted across public spaces to improve greenery and shade. Maintenance crews are also carrying out routine cleaning and repairs in preparation for the upcoming judging period.
The national cleaner city competition, launched last year, evaluates municipalities across a range of criteria, the council noted. Assessments will consider waste management practices, overall beautification and the level of greenery, with municipalities grouped into large, medium and small categories for comparison. Lautoka’s campaign has been tailored to address each of those areas, Singh said, although he did not provide a detailed breakdown of scores or benchmarks the council is targeting.
Timing is a key factor in the push. With judges expected in May or June, council officials have accelerated works to ensure visible changes are in place by the assessment window. Singh said the improvement program would be ongoing, describing the current phase as maintenance and enhancement rather than a one-off clean-up. “So, this work will continue,” he added, signalling further projects beyond cosmetic upgrades.
The council’s efforts form part of a broader competition-driven wave of municipal improvements across Fiji, where cities and towns are incentivised to raise standards of cleanliness, waste handling and urban greenery. For Lautoka, the visible projects — from pressure-cleaned streets to the newly painted mall and refreshed roundabouts — are intended to strengthen the city’s entry and civic pride ahead of the judges’ arrival.
Officials said they would release more information on the scope and timeline of specific works as the judging date approaches. For now, residents and visitors can expect to see ongoing maintenance and planting activity around Lautoka as the city prepares for the national assessment.
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