Adams-Patterson holds 2nd outreach in Linden
Minister Valerie Adams-Patterson
Minister Valerie Adams-Patterson

MINISTER within the Ministry of Communities, with responsibility for housing, Mrs Valerie Adams-Patterson, on Tuesday held her second public day within two weeks in Linden.

Accompanied by a team from the Ministry of Communities, the Minister held a consultation with several stakeholders, visited the fields, and then met with the residents in an effort to reduce within the system the number of active applications from Linden.

On her previous visit, the Minister had informed the residents that there are currently no low-income house lots available in Linden, and only a few middle and high income lots remain. She also said that the available lots were not owned by the Ministry, but by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), the Lands and Surveys Commission, and the town’s municipality.

She met with representatives from these organisations and from the Guyana Power Light on Tuesday in an effort to have some of the lands transferred over to the Ministry, so that lands can be allocated to persons with applications dating back to the 1990s.

The minister and her team visited several communities in Linden, and were successful in earmarking 20 lands. These will be allocated to persons with applications in the 90s and early 2000s. The minister explained to the eager residents that priority must be given to persons with earlier applications, since it would not be fair to sideline them for others applying during later periods.

Minister Adams-Patterson placed her signature and an appointment date on the applications of those persons, giving them assurance that allocations will be made earliest.

PATIENCE
The minister and team were flocked by residents eager to be allocated house lots and titles for lots they have already paid for, and in some cases built on. Men, women, youths, young professionals, and single parents were among those who used the outreach to voice their concerns in the hope of getting favourable response from the Minister.

She, in turn, requested that residents of Linden be patient, as the system cannot be changed overnight. “I am no miracle worker. I came and meet the system one way, and I’m trying to change it,” she said.

She said that out of all the regions in Guyana, Region 10 was the only region that had no available land, and her mandate is not only to change this, but to provide the necessary amenities in the schemes where lands will be allocated.

“When you get these lands, you must get light and water too, unless you want to go in with a flambeau lamp,” she remarked.

Minister Adams-Patterson said she had made representation for Region 10 so that budgetary allocations would be given to make these provisions possible.

The minister disclosed that there are currently 25,000 active applications within the system, and she pledged to work assiduously to have lands given out to the people before the completion of 2016.

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