–in second ‘Dream Realised’ project

ANOTHER 200-plus land titles are expected to be distributed to residents in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Friday, when the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA)’s “Dream Realised” project continues in that region.

The event will be held from 09:00h to 15:00h at the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus, and will also involve exhibitions by a number of supporting institutions, including commercial banks.
Minister of Housing and Water, Colin Croal revealed the plans for the event during a CH&PA contract-signing ceremony on Monday, in that he reminded those present that it will be a title-distribution exercise, and as such the allocation of house lots will not be taking place.

“We have published in the newspapers for a number of persons from Region Six to make contact with us. The titles are not new allocations made by us; they are for persons in the system who have completed payments, and the titles were just there sitting at the CH&PA, not being distributed,” the Minister said.
The tiles are for lands at Eliza and Mary; Plantation No. 77; Plantation No. 76; Plantation Ordinance Fortlands; Plantation Kilcoy and Chesney; and at Plantation Mount Sinai.

This event will be the second “Dream Realised” project distribution, following the inaugural event that was held at the Providence National Stadium on the East Bank Demerara last month, where some 350 persons received their titles for lands in Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Four (Demerara-Mahaica).  The project is a push for persons to own their own homes.

“We want to encourage persons to ensure that they receive their titles, so that they can approach the banks for their mortgage and start to build,” the Minister noted.
The distribution activities are part of the government’s drive to distribute more than 2,600 land titles countrywide, which is part to a wider goal to build 25,000 homes, and create 50,000 house lots within the next five years.

The Minister noted that with approximately 70,000 applications for housing in the CH&PA system, the Ministry is actively looking at ways of addressing the backlog, even as the number of applications continues to grow with new applicants daily.
The Housing Minister said that since he took office in August, the CH&PA has already received an additional 1,000 applications, particularly due to a number of housing outreaches that the CH&PA has been conducting.

As it relates to the issue of land acquisition for the development of new housing schemes, the minister said negotiations with agencies that own potential lands are being actively carried out.
The CH&PA has been in negotiations with GuySuCo, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), and the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GL&SC) about acquiring lands.

“There are some lands that are under CH&PA, but further lands are being made available,” the Minister said, adding:
“We have been able to sort out with GuySuCo those lands that they have identified for their purposes, so we know what will be available to us. And now it’s for the acquisition, we have received documentation from GuySuCo of more lands available on the East Bank corridor, for which we are processing the necessary paperwork for it to be vested to us.”
He emphasised that there is a focus on land acquisition, not only in Region Four, but in all the administrative regions across the country.

“There is a demand elsewhere too; it’s not just Region Four alone. Our focus for the acquisition of land is not just on the coast; it’s across the country. We have from Regions One to Ten, for which we are seeking lands for further housing drive,” Minister Croal said.