MINISTER Annette Ferguson who has responsibility for housing said that there is a backlog of over 40,000 pending house lot applications on file. These, she said, were inherited from the previous administration after the transition to the Coalition Government. She was at the time outlining her vision to address this issue and further stated that her office will be working diligently to address related issues.

She was at the time being interviewed on the National Communication’s Network’s (NCN Inc.) programme ‘INSIGHT’ on Voice of Guyana (VOG). In her informative discussion she outlined her vision for Central Housing & Planning Authority aimed at meeting the needs of the public.

An aspect of the vision she outlined related to CH&PA having a hotline service, thus providing the platform for enhanced communication and consultation between the general public and CH&PA’s staff. The burning question of when and where house lots will be allocated will then be addressed in a more timely manner and applicants for house lots are likely to have a better understanding of the processes and be more hopeful.

The minister however voiced her dissatisfaction regarding the high price marked on house lots.
“The CH&PA is guided by the Housing Act Cap. 36:20 and in that act it clearly spells out that it is the responsibility of CH&PA to provide housing for the working class of people. But yet we are seeing these exorbitant prices, for example $1.8M $2M and $3M, for a house lot,” she said.

In this regard, Minister Ferguson pointed out that it is difficult for public servants to afford these high-priced house lots, given the fact that an average person’s pay is beneath $100,000 GYD. In this regard, another aspect of her vision will be to review the pricing of house lots to make them more affordable to all Guyanese.

“My simple appeal to the masses out there, is just be patient. Your government, through the Ministry of Communities, Department of Housing, is working assiduously to address your housing needs,” she stated.