PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, gave two women their Christmas gift, on Tuesday, after he waived all fees and cost attached to their house lots when he learned that they had applied for a plot of land over two decades ago.
The beneficiaries were Patsy Singh, 64, a mother of six, who had been waiting more than 25 years for a plot of land. She was allocated a lot at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD) while Kamaldai (only name given) was allocated a lot at Ann Catherina.
Both women applied for land in 1993 but were unable to secure house lots.
They received their house lots at the Government’s ‘Dream Realised Housing Drive 2020’ hosted Tuesday at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora, West Coast Demerara, Region Three.

Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, made the presentations to the women on the President’s behalf.
The outreach concluded Wednesday with over 1,000 house lots being delivered at the two-day event hosted by the Housing Ministry.
President Ali took the decision to waive the fees and costs after the women’s plight came to his attention.

Patsy Singh said she thought her dreams of homeownership went up in flames after the ministry’s building on Homestretch Avenue was gutted by a fire in 2001.
She recalled her frustrations as a single parent while visiting the ministry time after time, only to be told that there were no record of her application.
“They tell me I got to apply back again and I keep applying and they just get me going and coming, and I ain’t able because I got to work to maintain meh children them. So, I just leave it down like that,” the mother of six explained.

OVERJOYED
After decades of hopelessness, she now owns a house lot at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara. An overjoyed Singh extended gratitude to the President for his unexpected intervention.
Meanwhile, Kamaldai was given a house lot at Anna Catherina, WCD. The woman said that after applying in 1993, she was issued a lot in 1995 under the tenure of the late President, Dr. Cheddi Jagan.

The lot she received was in Sophia. However, her dreams of homeownership seemed to vanish after she was forced off her land by squatters.
“My lot number was lot 648 and Dr. Jagan himself delivered that lot number to me; and in 1997, the squatters take it away and since then I’m running for a house lot and I always get turned down….That is how come I gat to rent house,” she said.
Kamaldai recalled waiting outside of the ministry’s office in the wee hours of the morning hoping to get a chance to speak to a minister or to get some form of assistance from staff.

On Tuesday, she received an unexpected call from the ministry asking her to attend the Dream Realised event and to bring all of her relevant documents.
“I feel very happy after waiting so long, and I am overjoyed, and I thank the President and the ministers and all the employees, and I want to wish everyone happy holidays. I would like to thank the President a million and one times, Kamaldai said.