AMIDST a recent countrywide rush for houselots and the Housing Ministry’s relentless drive towards helping every Guyanese receive their own home, an audit report of housing at Charity, on the Essequibo Coast, has revealed that there are persons possessing lands illegally, and there are 45 cases of squatting on the Charity reserve lands.

Housing and Water Minister, Irfaan Ali, made a call for all residents in the Essequibo Coast region to collaborate with the ministry to stamp out this illegality.
Speaking yesterday in the Anna Regina Town Council compound, where the Housing Ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) distributed 367 houselots at its ‘One Stop Shop’ exercise for Onderneeming, another Essequibo Coast village,
Ali implored the people to report cases where land owners apply for house lots through the programme, and people purchase houselots unlawfully.
“If there is anyone here today that you know already owns a houselot, it is your public responsibility, in encouraging and supporting good governance, that you report it so that we can take the corrective action immediately,” the minister told the  large gathering of eager residents, most of whom turned up with the hope of realising their dream of owning their own homes.

STERN WARNING
“If you know that you are sitting here and you are the owner of a house- lot, please do not proceed further with your transaction, because you will lose,” he warned sternly, noting that all the money invested to purchase the houselot would be forfeited immediately.
“There is a clause in the agreement of sale that says that if anyone misrepresented information in their application, or deliberately provided wrong information, allowing us to make the decision of giving you the houselot when you might have already owned one, then whatever resources you pay today will be lost,” the minister warned.
He said there were many persons who were allocated houselots and, to date, have not started construction. “There were many persons who squatted on other people’s houselots because they think they have the right to be lawless,” he added, noting that when these squatters are forced to remove, they would “whip up public sympathy” and criticise the Government.
The latest report on Charity revealed that 93 houselots there are vacant; there are 16 cases of people purchasing lands illegally; there are 10 cases of people occupying lands which they do not possess; and there are 45 cases of squatting.
Ali said the ministry would take legal action to repossess the 93 house- lots and get rid of the squatters. “There are 45 cases of persons who think that they can breach all the rules and build structures on the reserves of Charity, but we are going to remove all 45,” he declared. “This may sound tough, but we cannot accept lawlessness. When we encourage lawlessness the fabric of society is destroyed.”
He said the Housing Ministry values ‘open governance’, and therefore its agenda is always open for scrutiny. “Whatever we do must be open to public dialogue, to public criticism. That is why we don’t respond to every illegitimate criticism; we investigate and we do our work in a highly professional manner,” he said, noting that the Government of Guyana (GoG) has delivered what it had promised in its proposal.
“We are delighted that, at this challenging stage of the political history of our country, we are able to deliver to you one of our manifesto promises,” Minister Ali said, adding that the development of housing schemes in the region was part of the GoG proposal, which Government worked hard to make materialise.
“I thank the people for their support to the Government and commitment, and empowering the Government to be able to come to you this morning to bring the service of housing,” Minister Ali said.
The minister also acknowledged how privileged he was to have been afforded an opportunity to serve the people in Region 2. “This region is very special to us, because it is one of the first regions that we are up to time with.”
He noted that the Housing Ministry was processing applications for 2012 and 2013. “It is a tremendous accomplishment for the RDC (the Regional Democratic Council) here and the Ministry of Housing,” he said.
Ali totalled the number of beneficiaries for the One Stop Shop exercise yesterday at 1,394 persons. “Today, we are investing over $536,000 for every household. The total expenditure is $182M, the total revenue is only $49M; which means that the Government is subsidising this scheme to the tune of $132.3M, or a 72 percent subsidy ratio,” he said, adding that the investment has cost the GoG over $1.2M in water sector for the region.
He remarked that $22M was set aside for the provision of electricity in the new scheme, with an additional $60M spent to repair roads in the Old Onderneeming Scheme.
Region 2 Chairman Parmanand Persaud praised the Housing Ministry for initiating the housing drive. “We thank the ministry for providing a shelter for our people. Over the years, we have had the Ministry of Housing (intervening) in our region, and have benefited from the drive.”
He said there were many cases of overcrowding in homes, where several families would occupy one home. “There is always a need for houselots. It is difficult for us at the regional administration and the Lands and Surveys Commission to find lands to establish new housing schemes.”
Persaud added that there are issues with residents demanding houselots in areas where there is no land space. He said the administration is criticised for being unable to provide land. “We cannot get houselots in areas where we do not have land to give you. We are asking you to consider areas where there is land available.”
Operations Director of the Housing Ministry, Ms Denise King-Tudor, said the ministry is moving to reduce the demand for houselots in the region and across the country. “The vision of the ministry is a nation housed in sustainable settlements. And with that in focus, the ministry continues to vigorously pursue the acquisition of lands to establish housing schemes in all of the administrative regions,” she said.
“These are all achievable with concentrated efforts by all stakeholders involved in the development process,” she said, adding that basic resources and strong partnerships through effective implementation would propel the housing project at a resounding pace.
She said it is the aim of the ministry to reduce overcrowding in homes, and to transition tenants and young people to home owners.  “This reality will be experienced…with time, as we work together to achieve the distribution target of 30,000 house lots by 2016.”
She added that the One Stop Shop exercise gives both the prospective land owner and contractors the opportunity to interact and quicken the process of building. “This approach is transparent and is also the avenue for sharing information on building regulations, on construction tips, and maintenance. It’s an opportunity for interactions. The contractors and carpenters are guaranteed continuous employment,” she said.
She said the report received from the region was that persons were eagerly anticipating the allocation of houselots in the new scheme, and the result was that the ministry was forced to increase staff to provide service to the people.
She congratulated the prospective home owners. “The ministry is extremely happy to facilitate the process of making you a proud homeowner. Land is a valuable asset which helps people to achieve goals. It gives families the security they need to move forward in life.
There is stability and a sense of belonging, and there is also freedom and control where they would not be limited by the standards of a landlord.”
Guyana Chronicle spoke yesterday to several persons who were about to receive houselots, and they all praised the housing drive.
Bhagwan Prabhu, who lives with his father and other siblings, said he was happy to own his own houselot. “I am feeling really happy. I live with my father, so this is the first time I’m owning my own house lot. All I’m  thinking about now is starting the building process and starting a family with my wife,” he said.
Another man, Khalwan Budhnaie, said he had applied for a houselot five years ago, and was grateful that he could not only own a piece of land, but also start building on the land. “I feel happy because this is the first time I’m getting a house lot, and I’m gonna start building as soon as next month. This is a first for me…it’s a first.”