MINISTER of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, has refuted allegations that the Board of Directors of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) may be contributing to a slowing down of activities in that sector by contending that the CH&PA Board is ‘refocusing’ the housing sector.Several senior housing officials, however, blame the CH&PA Board for “stymieing progress”, with one senior housing official, who requested anonymity, saying that of the more than $5 billion allocated to the Housing Ministry in the 2016 budget, only approximately $100 million have thus far been spent.

“This is because of the Board,” that official said. “Every week is meeting after meeting, and nothing is coming out of it.”

The Guyana Chronicle was told that 59 ‘turnkey’ homes have been completed but need repairs, while more than 100 are incomplete. Some homeowners are yet to receive their houses because of the incomplete buildings, while others cope with faulty structures despite paying off the ministry.

“This means that some people are paying mortgages for houses they cannot occupy, while having to (pay) rent and (other) bills at the same time,” the source contends.

The issue of theft is among the many other challenges facing completion of the turnkey homes. Theft was alleged in the disappearance of materials and appliances for the turnkey houses, but little information was reported to the police.

“So what is the solution?” this staff member asked. “They are pretending like everything is okay, (but) everything is not okay. Where do we go from here?” the staffer questioned rhetorically.

The source contends, “The (Housing) minister’s hands are tied; plus the Board doesn’t report to her, they report to Minister Bulkan. She cannot do anything. The Board says they are refocusing, but every week is four, five meetings and nothing (is being done).”

‘WICKED AND MISCHIEVOUS’
Contacted, Housing Minister Valerie Adams-Patterson refused to comment on the matter, and directed all questions to the Communities Ministry. Minister Bulkan, however, described the assertions of the senior housing staffer as “wicked and mischievous.” He said the CH&PA Board is not interested in carrying on the projects of the previous administration, and are thus “focusing on a review of the CH&PA.”

He mentioned review of the Remigrant Scheme among other ideas, before describing the challenges inherited from the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government. Bulkan said the true purpose of the housing projects were “poorly disguised” in the former government’s claim to help low and middle income earners.

Bulkan said that $59 million have been approved for the repair of faulty turnkey homes, but he was “not in a position” to give an update on when work will commence on those homes.

CONDOS
Guyana Chronicle understands that the Housing Ministry and the CH&PA Board are currently talking about building condos and housing complexes, but plans are still at conceptualization stage. In the meantime, citizens who are still waiting to access homes received from the Government have expressed discontent with the time being taken to rectify the problems at those houses.

One housing staffer has said she feels “inadequate and useless”, since “many people are calling for updates on their homes and we have nothing to tell them.”

Numerous calls to the CH&PA Board Chairman Hamilton Green’s cellphone over the past few days have gone unanswered; and it was disclosed on Monday that the Chairman is currently out of the country.