THE Region 10 Land Selection Committee, having been in a state of dissolution for several months, will be reinstituted, and new members will be selected to carry out the tasks that the previous committee members had failed to do.

This state of virtual dissolution had been a severe hindrance to the process in which persons were granted land, and was cause for much criticism. Region 10 Chairman Renis Morian, who had been the driving force behind this dissolution because in his opinion the committee was not fulfilling its mandate, was enthused to have this committee reinstituted with the advent of a new Minister who is from Region 10. He is optimistic that Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Adams-Patterson, will honour requests made by the committee, as those were hindered by the previous administration, making the committee obsolete.

The new committee will be tasked with eliminating land issues that are facing the people of Region 10. One of these issues is the delay in issuing land to persons even though they have paid for same.

“We have in our possession receipts of payments for lands made years ago, and these are the issues that will be given priority with this new committee,” the Chairman said.

Correspondence will be sent to the Minister, seeking permission to have the committee and the region make the decision as to how lands must be selected and distributed, as this was not done in the past. The system that had obtained in the past was the bugbear to the way in which lands were issued to the people.

“We are hoping that Minister Patterson will support us in this venture, so that our committee will not just hold a title but will be a true representation of what the people want and what we think is best for the people in this regard,” Morian said.

The aim of the committee is to have land distributed in an orderly manner, and this should be done expeditiously so as to eliminate the long wait the people are forced to endure.

In addition, the Land Selection Committee will be looking to have the prices for those lands decreased, and to ensure that persons are in possession of their titles within two months of being issued land.

By Vanessa Braithwaite