…lands commission staff urged at retreat

By Lisa Hamilton
The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) needs to clamp down on squatting, illegal occupation of state reserves and land degradation, says Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.

These concerns were highlighted on Friday at the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission’s Vision Retreat, held at De Impeccable Banquet Hall on Brickdam, Georgetown.
The retreat served to engage participants in an exercise to update the Commission’s vision and mission. Harmon used the opportunity to highlight a list of matters the GLSC needed to address in order to coincide with the government’s vision for Guyana.

Disparity of development between the coastland and the hinterland, squatting, illegal occupation of state lands, land degradation and several controversies with land rights, were some of the topics Harmon touched on.
On the issue of squatting, the Minister of State said that the GLSC needed to be stricter with squatters who were reluctant to move out of unwarranted areas onto legitimate lands provided by the government. “[Squatters] preferring to live in terrible conditions, willing to squat…when they can move to the new area,” Harmon voiced, “This gives rise to serious environmental health and social issues that are hindrances to the achievement of the good life.

“The Lands and Surveys Commission must be firm in the administration of its mandate to ensure adherence to the provisions of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission Act.”

Harmon also went into the issue of land rights. He said that the granting of leases for state reserves and the illegal application of state and local authority reserves are matters the GLSC must address.
This issue has a negative effect on all Guyanese, he said, thus the Commission must be firm in its resolve to correct these anomalies for which the former administration is largely at fault.

“The flawed policy of the previous administration has left much confusion with regards to house lot allocation, with more than one person entitled to the same land and many persons having several house lots and state lands leases, while many others have been waiting for years for an allocation,” Harmon chastised.
He then went on to reveal, “We have situations where government projects are held up or cancelled because of the occupation of state reserves that were earmarked for infrastructure expansion and development.”

On a similar topic, the minister said that there needed to be reclamation of leased state lands that are not being beneficially occupied. “Regularly, when I open the newspapers, I recognise that the police would have an eradication of some marijuana cultivation somewhere. And, when you check on it, some of the cultivations are on state lands,” he highlighted.

“I’m asking the GLSC to pay close attention…I’m asking that you repossess them and give them to persons who want to do legitimate agriculture that they have to do,” Harmon requested firmly. The minster also gave equal time to matters regarding the degradation of land as a result of harvesting timber, mining and shifting cultivation.

These, he explained, have negative implications on Guyana’s eco-system maintenance and its international commitment to the green agenda. As such, the commission needs to intensify efforts to prevent, control and reverse land degradation, as well as manage the entire process of movement, exploitation and settlement in the hinterland.

Harmon did not, however, let the opportunity slip to recognise the GLSC for their substantial works and improvements throughout the years. He highlighted efforts to improve revenue collection; movement from a state of bankruptcy to one of financial health and self-sufficiency and the reduction of the backlog of pending application for state-land leases, as some of the noteworthy improvements of the organisation.

“I wish to urge that you continue to find creative ways to increase your revenue base, increase your finances without having the need to increase land rents for domestic use,” Harmon stated.
“I believe that we should try to find ways of ensuring that our people have access to land [domestic] that is cheap, that is reasonable.”

He further stated that he hopes that the issues and recommendations he raised would be considered in assisting the body in the development of their strategic plan for the future. The GLSC aims to effectively and efficiently manage public lands and facilitate administration of regulations for private lands, for the benefit of clients and national development.