Infrastructure work in progress
Housing remains one of the focal points for development in Guyana, and the administration continues to expend billions of dollars on developmental works for incremental and unplanned growth. Construction and upgrade of roads, drainage and irrigation systems and installation of water and electricity are among the many interventions made to advance housing development.

Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, disclosed that his Ministry has commenced infrastructure work to have another 600 lots available in the Parfait/Harmonie Housing Scheme by the first quarter of 2010.

He said there have been concerns in relation to the allocation of middle-income lots in Regions Three and Four as a result of the Ministry’s aggressive house lot allocation exercise (One Stop Shop).

The Housing Ministry, he said, is moving ahead in negotiating with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to find new sites for future development in Regions Three and Four, where there is a continuous increase in demand from applicants for house lots.

The Minister further stated that it is the Ministry’s hope that by the end of October, another 1000 low-income lots will be available in the Onderneeming Housing Scheme, where infrastructure work is also ongoing.

“This will put us way past our target set in the Budget where we have anticipated allocating approximately 1500 house lots this year. We are way ahead of that target at the moment,” he said. 

The Central Housing and Planning Authority will be executing infrastructure development in these areas at a cost of $1B to consolidate and upgrade the areas.

A community development plan will be prepared to provide a planned context for the future development and consolidation of the communities to ensure that development also takes place in an orderly manner.

The establishment of a commercial zone is among the institution’s plans to ensure sustainability and self-sufficiency in the communities.

Alluding to further plans for the sector, Minister Ali said that the Ministry’s ‘operation consolidation plan’ will be completed before the last quarter of 2009.

This, he noted, includes the finalising of surveys in areas that are to be regularised, data cleansing exercise to reduce duplication of applications, and field and internal audits which would bring into effect the automated online application system.

“Within the next three months, we will be aggressive in terms of our work in achieving our targets and enforcing the regulations of the housing policy,” Minister Ali concluded. (GINA)