The Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwyn Greaves, on Wednesday morning, went with a team on a fact-finding mission at Phase 4, Fitz Hope, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) in response to complaints from contractors, that infrastructure works are halted as a result of a cluster of squatters.
According to the CH&PA, Greaves explained that more than 400 families have been allocated residential lots in the area, while an additional 160 have been regularised.
However, according to the CH&PA, eight illegal structures continue to stand in the way of a key road network.
According to Greaves, the Housing Ministry will now be reaching out to the owners of the structures to bring a speedy resolution to the issue.
“We have people who are waiting to access their lands, and we have contractors who have works to be completed, and we cannot have 8 persons blocking development,” the CEO is quoted as saying in a social media post by the CH&PA.
He explained that the ministry will be exploring all its options to engage these persons to relocate them so that the development works can proceed and assured that the agency will work with the owners of the structures to chart a course forward.
“We want people to be able to move into their homes, we want them to sign their legal documents so they could have the security of tenure go to the banks, and start building their homes,” the CEO is quoted as saying.
According to the CH&PA, the CEO added that Wednesday’s assessment will determine if the contractors can work around the structures or if relocation is the only alternative.
“We first have to see if we can work around or if they have to move, we will deal with those persons who have those structures and see if we can relocate them and put them somewhere else because we can’t have the work being held up because we must proceed to put people into their homes”.
The CEO also used the opportunity to remind Lindeners that the housing ministry is working in their best interest, and with the demand for housing growing, efforts are being made to make land available.
“Over the years we have been working in Region 10, as you know we have a massive project at Plantation York, and we are in talks with Lands and Survey for additional land as we have a target of 50,000 allocations to meet.”
The CEO added that the agency is committed to fulfilling its mandate and while they are well on the way to meeting that target, with 33,000 allocations made so far, meeting that target will not be the end.
“There is an ever-growing demand for housing, and we will continue in our efforts to make housing affordable for every citizen.
