LINDEN residents, especially the younger generation, are at a loss as to why it is so difficult for them to get land when the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) is the custodian of hundreds of acres.The issue was reportedly raised last year with Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Ms Valerie Patterson, who has portfolio responsibility for such matters, and her response was that as far as she knew, there are no lands available in Linden for low-income earners.
Their dreams of ever owning a home temporarily shattered, Lindeners are now wondering what are their chances, given the government’s recent announcement of plans to commence a comprehensive housing drive this year.

One such person is 26-year-old Yanick Copeland; and he told this newspaper that he is sickened; that he’s tired of being given the royal runaround by the regional housing authorities.
“All yuh hearing when yuh go up there is that dem ain’t get land, dem ain’t get land… Is not like people ain’t get de money fuh pay fuh land, but how yuh paying and they don’t have land to give you,” Copeland said, adding:
“What hurting the most is that up Watooka and all these places, they have nuff, nuff land, but what they doing with the land.
“Yuh hearing is NICIL land and they transferring the land, but like the transfer gon take years.”

SIMILAR RESERVATIONS
Stephon Holder, 24, just got married, and he has similar reservations.
“I am a married man, and I would like to have a land so that I can build a home for my family,” he said. “But, how can you do that when yuh hearing no land is available? Why don’t they transfer all the lands that NICIL own over to the Ministry?”
Another young person, who, because he’s employed at a government agency, requested anonymity, but he’s just as frustrated as the others.
“My opinion,” he said, “is that too much bureaucracy is involved; and these things are announced prematurely, without any proper consultation done, and so the people’s expectations are raised and then months going on to years pass, and nothing happens.
“This angers the people; this angers me, because I need a land. These are the reasons people squat,” he said, alluding the public consultation held by Minister Patterson last year March in Linden, when she announced that the Ministry of Communities is in the process of having lands transferred to it from NICIL.
“What is also upsetting,” the young man said, “is that both the Minister and CEO of NICIL are Lindeners; therefore they need to put some pepper in their steps for the people of Linden.”
NOT MUCH DONE
Chief Executive Officer of NICIL, Mr Horace James, when contacted, told the Guyana Chronicle that the process has commenced, but not much has been done. “It hasn’t gone anywhere as yet in terms of identifying specific lands; just a general description of lands was given. The process is in the very early stages,” he said.
Minister Patterson, however, revealed that instructions were given by the government to have the transfer completed by December 31, 2016.
“I cannot say what exactly is the position, because it was supposed to be handed over from NICIL to Lands and Survey,” she said.
Regional Chairman, Renis Morian had a different take on the matter. “I think the time has come now for these lands that are owned by NICIL to be transferred to Lands and Survey and the Ministry of Housing; NICIL don’t own lands, and I support the call of residents in Region 10, because we have hundreds of young people; young people coming to my office looking for land. The lands are there, hence we need these lands to be transferred,” he said.