IN 2017, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), expended in excess of $1.9B on infrastructural development projects. This information was documented in the Executive Summary of the 2017 annual report that was tabled in the National Assembly, last Wednesday.

The spending included the completion of roll over projects, electrical infrastructure programme, consolidation of existing housing areas and the construction of various housing solutions.

At a recent community meeting held in Amelia’s Ward Linden, during a government outreach, Minister Valerie Yearwood, who was recently transferred from the Ministry of Communities, said that Government expended millions of dollars to ensure that land applicants move into housing schemes and not just uninhabited areas. She also stressed that government met over 25,000 applications in the system and while it was impossible to allocate this entire amount in one term, significant efforts were made to ensure this number was lowered. In Linden alone, over 400 house lots in well-developed housing schemes with roads, drains, electricity and water were allocated. Nationally, for 2016, 2,020 house lots were allocated while 1,331 were allocated in 2017.

The 2017 report further highlighted that CHPA’s mission is to create cohesive and sustainable communities. According to the report, for 2017, communities that benefited from new infrastructure works included Perseverance Phase Three, Non Pariel Sections B and D, Farm Phase Two and Zeelugt.

Communities that benefited from upgraded infrastructure in housing schemes and regularized squatter settlements which include roads to asphaltic surfaces, de-silting and de-weeding of drainage network etc included Perseverance, Number 76 Village, Parfaite Harmonie, Westminster, Herstellling and Amelia’s Ward Phase Two. Recreational facilities were also upgraded in communities such as Lethem, Bartica, Perseverance and Amelia’s Ward.

The report further stated that CHPA, through its Community Development Department, aims to improve living standards of the people of Guyana and has made strides in regularizing squatting areas that are not in zero tolerance zones.