-tells applicants at Zeelugt One Stop Shop, 500 house lots allocated
FIVE hundred people were yesterday brought closer to realising their dream of home ownership, joining thousands of other Guyanese who are today proudly enjoying a comfortable life and an improved standard of living. At a One Stop Shop at the Uitvlugt Community Centre, Region Three, the applicants and family members flocked the centre to have their applications processed for houselots at Zeelugt, West Coast Demerara.
Middle income, low middle income, and the low income house lots were distributed to 500 applicants.
Housing is a major sector of Region Three, and over the past decade, more than $23B has been invested in this sector, creating more than 23,000 lots and benefiting over 94,000 Guyanese.
Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali, addressing the huge gathering, reiterated government’s commitment to developing and advancing the social development of the country, and  providing access to basic facilities, including housing, education, sanitation, road, water and electricity.
Minister Ali indicated that about 2600 new lots would be available in Region Three this year alone, with 1000 more lots to be available at Zeelugt and 200 at Leonora, among other areas.
“Government understands the critical role that housing plays in transforming the lives of people and improving the family unit, bringing families closer; so we must appreciate and understand this huge progress that has been made in the housing sector in Region Three,” Minister Ali said.
Within the next five years, Minister Ali said another 500 house lots in the existing Zeelugt scheme will be allocated to cater for the demand in the Region.
“If one is to look at the investment at Zeelugt, we would have invested more than $460M. It would bring benefit to almost 3500 persons directly; and of course if you look at the average cost per household, or house lot, we are talking about $650,000,” Minister Ali informed applicants.
He reassured residents of Government’s commitment to meeting the dream of every single Guyanese in owning a home, notwithstanding political rhetoric to derail its investment to improve the lives of Guyanese.
Government has already advanced $60M to the Guyana Power and Light to commence work on the electricity network in Zeelugt.
“In order to accelerate the access to the lots and to ensure that you can start preparing yourself for the construction of your homes, we have started infrastructure work which is already 70% complete, and by the time you would have completed administrative works, finalising your house lot, applying for your loans, preparing yourself to build your dream home, the works will be completed,” Minister Ali said.
Region Three, he said, is part of the dynamic transformation taking place in Guyana where development is far exceeding residents’ expectations.

Big development plans for Region Three
Minister Ali reminded the gathering of President Bharrat Jagdeo’s recent announcement that plans are in the pipeline to construct a four-lane road, extending from the Demerara Harbour Bridge to Parika, East Bank Essequibo.
This, he said, is as a result of “the high demand, the high traffic demand in the region, because more people now own vehicles; there are more families living here, so ultimately the demand on the roadways is indeed greater”.
He said that due to government’s policies in diversifying it services, that “we have been able to develop equitable development, equitable transfer of wealth and opportunities in every single region across the country”.
Region Three has a modern diagnostic centre at Leonora and modern regional hospital which conducts a number of surgeries and provides a range of services.
“I want to assure you of government’s commitment to ensuring that all our people have access to these facilities and we would work hard now and in the future … because I am sure if you look within your conscience, you will realize that this government is a committed government and would ensure that leadership is committed,” Minister Ali said.
Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Myrna Pitt, touted the recently concluded international building expo a huge success and hoped that potential home owners would have taken advantage of the opportunity to view the wide range of materials, designs and accessories that are currently available on the market to make their dream home a reality.
She said that the CHPA continues to consolidate and pursue partnerships with stakeholders in the building and construction sector, to ensure that the housing delivery process is efficient.
The authority, she added, will continue to monitor and assess its performance to ensure maximum and quality service is delivered to the public.
“The success of Government’s interventions in the sector is there for all to see…there has been tremendous growth in the building and construction sector for the past 18 years, with massive investments which continue to grow and is projected to grow again in 2011,” Pitt said.
The consolidated partnership of public/private entities, she said, has contributed greatly to the improvement of the quality of life for Guyanese, since home ownership and benefits impact significantly on the social and economic life of the nation and on individuals.
Meanwhile, Region Three Chairman, Julius Faerber, informed residents of other aspects of progress taking place in the region, inclusive of better road access, new schools, health centre and recreational facilities.
He also urged residents to occupy their lots in a timely manner and to make good use of the facility being provided by the government in their respective schemes.
Yesterday’s One Stop Shop event is the eighth hosted by the ministry for the year, and accounts for in excess of 50 percent of the ministry’s target for 2011.
In 2009, there were 12 One Stop Shop exercises in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10; while in 2010, there were 15 such interventions in Regions 2, 3, 4, 6, 8. (GINA)