– Minister Ali
THE demand for housing and water is among the most critical needs of the citizens in any country and all political parties should support efforts for the continued development of those sectors, Minister with the portfolio, Mr. Irfaan Ali said this week. He made this pronouncement during an interview, in which he reaffirmed his commitment to ensure that every citizen has equal access to the two social necessities.
“I see the housing sector continuing in this very progressive way. I don’t’ see any setbacks. One thing all political parties and individuals should have in common is the needs of the  people … housing and water are two of the most critical needs of the people and I don’t see anything that would deter support in this regard,” was how the minister put it.
According to him, the development along East Bank Demerara is one of the programmes that will proceed as planned, as there are arrangements in place for even greater expansion of the corridor to support the socio-economic growth of the residents there.
To date, 1,000 house lots have been allocated in Eccles and another 1,000 in Herstelling and infrastructure works are almost 50 percent complete in the Remigrant Scheme, which will accommodate between 500 and 600 lots, he noted.
Ali also alluded to the preparation for additional growth, stating that there are plans to expand Herstelling by another 1,500 lots, in addition to the expansion of the Diamond Scheme, as well.
“Expansion on the East Bank will continue; we also have a strong commercial/industrial development there; the entire purpose is to ensure that the communities are sustainable, that we create enough industries to generate employment and to have the right socio-economic infrastructure that will make the communities viable. We have also acquired some land from GuySuCo for more housing on the East Coast, where there is high demand,” he disclosed.
Ali gave his assurance on the necessary infrastructure to support this massive development that will be in place, including the expansion of the East Bank corridor and the addition of access roads to new and existing housing developments, including the creation of six additional inlets and outlets leading to the main public road.
He said: “We have made it very clear that the alternative access road is critical on the agenda and it is a priority for us in the New Year, to ensure that is completed. We also want to ensure that the alternative access to Schoonord and Parfait Harmonie are also completed. This is another major investment that needs to be completed.”
Meanwhile, in keeping with Government policy, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has focused keenly on the distribution of serviced land for residential development, with 74,029 lots allocated over the past 12 years.