MINISTER of Housing and Water, Mr. Irfaan Ali, has detailed a record of accomplishments within the housing sector in 2009.

He said the number of interviews for house lots this year was more than double that in 2008.

Ali told reporters, at a year-end press conference in his Brickdam, Georgetown office, that, initially, 5,000 new interviews were targeted. However, 10,448 were actually done.

QUOTE: “We are in the tendering process of getting a number of projects for new development in 2010. We are looking to have approximately 7,000 new lots ready by the end of 2010. So this is a large target, but a target that is achievable with hard work and I think that the members of staff in CH&PA have demonstrated their ability to cope under stress and to work as a team in delivering to the people a better service. The CHPA has been able to exceed its 2009 target of 2,000 transports, by more than 400 and the target for distribution achieved.” – Minister Irfaan Ali

Speaking about the qualitative and quantitative targets, he said the original target for 2009 was 15,000 house lots to be distributed in three years, starting this year.

But President Bharrat Jagdeo, subsequently, announced a new figure of 17,000, sparking renewed interest and vigour on the part of stakeholders, Ali said.

The Minister said the phenomenal response was bolstered by the supportive systems put in place, including a fully computerised system, through which persons can apply and be interviewed the same day, provided they have the supporting documentation ready.

Ali said an online application mechanism was also introduced and the Ministry is hoping that, in 2010, this would be expanded.

Additionally, about three weeks ago, a website was established and it has already had more than 6,000 visitors, he reported.

An educational tool in itself, Ali said the website features the housing policy; the link standard; planning regulations; planning requirements and a developer’s manual.

He said a budgetary allocation of $430M, from Central Government, has served as a boon to the work of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

Reporting on the utilisation of that sum, Ali said the Ministry has expended every single cent allocated in 2009 and that would have seen the construction of approximately 17.6 kilometres (km) of road, for the benefit of 20,500 residents or 5,066 households.

He said, aside from the $430M, CH&PA for its part spent $608M which would have seen the building of nearly 9.3 km of road, benefitting 24,500 residents or 6,000 service lots.

In addition, there was funding of $624M, for a project in collaboration with the European Union (EU) for in excess of 5,000 house lots in areas such as Glasgow, East Bank Berbice.

Ali said, with Region Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands) boasting, perhaps the fastest growing housing schemes at this time, the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) statistics show that monthly traffic crossing it in 2009 increased over the previous year by more than 16 per cent.

TRANSPORTED
He said, on average, 11,000 tonnes of sand and aggregate materials are transported over the bridge on a weekly basis.

“This stands testimony to the fact that the housing drive has been enormous and, this year, our occupancy rates have risen tremendously,” Ali stated.

He also attributed the accelerated response by persons to the enforcement, and repossession drive and instilling, in the minds of people, the need to move from rental stage to home ownership.

Ali pointed out that Government has implemented various policies that have really pushed the sector forward, like raising of the lending limit at commercial banks and the reduction of material prices on the international market, all aiding the construction and housing boom in Guyana.

He also mentioned the implementation of the ‘One Stop Shop’ concept, which enabled the Ministry to move directly to people, serving and satisfying their needs.

Ali said his ministry has commenced implementing Low Income Housing Programme II, with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the $100M budgetary allocation of which was exceeded by 116 per cent, necessitating it be supplemented from foreign funded projects.

He said he is hopeful that the Ministry of Finance will be good to his ministry, in 2010, budgeting resources to meet the great demands that lie ahead.

Alluding to developments planned for next year, Ali said Schoonord, Zeelugt and Tuschen in Region Three; Fort Ordnance in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) and Non Pariel in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) have been identified.

He said a number of initiatives that were implemented in 2009 would continue to bear fruit and one of the major challenges in 2010 is to have contractors work in a timely, reliable and efficient manner, to complete the infrastructure upon which the Ministry would have embarked.

“We are in the tendering process of getting a number of projects for new development in 2010. We are looking to have approximately 7,000 new lots ready by the end of 2010.

“So this is a large target, but a target that is achievable with hard work and I think that the members of staff in CH&PA have demonstrated their ability to cope under stress and to work as a team in delivering to the people a better service.

The CHPA has been able to exceed its 2009 target of 2,000 transports, by more than 400 and the target for distribution achieved,” Ali disclosed.

He said the availability of land, having the necessary financial and human resource to develop it and putting in the enabling infrastructure have all helped to expedite the allocation process.

“The housing sector has done enormously well. Earlier this year, President Jagdeo announced a target of 17,000 house lots in 2009,” Ali declared.

He said partnerships have played a big part in the housing boom now being witnessed and he expressed pleasure with those involving commercial banks, the Private Sector and the Ministry of Housing.

ENVIRONMENT
Ali revealed that, in a number of the housing areas, the Private Sector came on board strongly and he hopes this could be expanded in 2010, towards creating an environment in which all the stakeholders will work with his ministry in achieving its various targets.

Noting that those entities worked very closely in 2009, he congratulated the banks for their pro-active approach, in terms of reaching out to the customers, joining the ‘One Stop Shop’ in dipping interest rates, ultimately resulting in benefit to the people and customers.

Ali commended the renewed vigour on the part of the banks in ensuring people could own their own homes.

In that context, he cited the imminent opening of two commercial banks at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, aimed at providing a consolidated set of services for people in the various housing schemes.

Ali said the revised Lethem Development Plan has been completed and arrangements are in train for a public launch in the near future.

According to him, the word coming out of that Region is that the interest shown by people has been tremendous.

“We have been receiving new applications for house lots in Lethem on a daily basis,” he acknowledged.

Yet he maintained that the issue of squatting is a major challenge and said there is need to look very rigorously at enforcing the existing laws.

Ali said his ministry has been employing a collaborative and integrated system that would incorporate the Drainage and Irrigation Department; Ministry of Public Works and Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

His ministry is looking towards formalising squatter regulations in 2010, as obtains in Trinidad, employing non-negotiable conditions, with the specific aim of minimising and, ultimately, removing squatter settlements and emerging ones.