SOME 55 households that have been occupying lands at Plantation Hope – Cum Annexis, East Coast Demerara for decades are in line to receive their Land titles/transports soon.

On Saturday, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, met with several of the residents, at the Hope Estate Compound, in keeping with a promise he made two weeks prior.

“Today, we are here committed to bringing this aspect of the ownership to completion for you and your families,” the Housing Minister told residents.

Through Saturday’s activity, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) initiated the verification of documents, which the minister noted is one of the first steps in the land titling process.

The initiative was well received by residents, who noted that they feared that the longstanding issue would have never been resolved.

Forty-eight year old Rajkumarie Budhu was one of those residents.

She stated that she had been living at Plantation Hope – Cum Annexis all of her life and was relieved that her life-long wish to possess ownership would finally become a reality.

“It’s a very long time, we born and grow here and we didn’t get nothing and we thankful that today, we finally gon’ get we title and everything gon’ be so good,” Budhu said.

Her father, Parasram Budhu, 69, also voiced his contentment with the work of the ministry. Another resident, Malinie Bhola, has been residing on a portion of the land for over 18 years.

Bhola is a mother of five and she stated that for her, receiving her Land Title/Transport will aid in the provision of a better life for herself and children.

“I feel glad that I waiting so long and I glad that I [will] get my paper and get through with my land,” Bhola said.

According to the Ministry of Housing, Plantation Hope – Cum Annexis was originally a sugar plantation bought after the indentureship period and repurposed for coconut cultivation.

“It became the Hope Coconut Industry Ltd. in the 1970s and was managed by a Board until the government took over in 1992 and eventually phased out the coconut cultivation.

“The land has since been developed into a housing scheme with close to 400 lots. Minister Croal also announced that, in 2022, the Ministry of Housing and Water plans to allocate a number of house lots in the area, as part of its flagship ‘Dream Realised’ Housing Drive,” the Housing Ministry noted.