On Tuesday, September 30, Minister of Housing, Collin Croal, met with residents of Section ‘E’ Non-Pareil West, East Coast Demerara, to provide an update on the regularisation of lands they have been occupying for decades without legal ownership.
Minister Croal reminded residents that the government had committed to addressing squatting and ensuring that families who have long settled on state reserves are given a fair opportunity to secure ownership. He explained that the process begins with a policy directive, since in some cases lands are earmarked for infrastructure development. Once the decision was made to proceed with regularisation at Section E, a structured plan was developed based on the situation found on the ground.
“We are working on every aspect of ensuring we meet our mandate. Not only are squatters being addressed, but a slew of measures will be rolled out in the coming months,” Minister Croal assured.
He told residents that surveyors will conduct a final round of verification in the area, which will be completed within the next two days. After this, the plan will be submitted to the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) for recording, paving the way for the issuance of titles.
The history of the settlement shows steady growth over the years. In 2004, only 10 households—mainly cash crop farmers—occupied the area. The formal process of regularisation commenced in 2020 when the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) carried out inventory, block, and occupation surveys.
From that survey a total of 94 lots were created, 79 structures were inventoried and surveyors commenced paaling to identify lots in accordance with the design.
The Community Development Department verified occupancy and parcel numbers.
Some residents initially disagreed with the paaling exercise, leading to adjustments in the layout.
Section E Non-Pareil is classified as a Transported Area owned by the Government of Guyana. According to the legal requirements, an individual transport can only be issued for plots measuring at least 3,053 square feet. However, 29 of the lots surveyed fall below this requirement. As such, CH&PA will have to request a Block Parcel number from GL&SC in order to obtain a Block Title, after which individual titles can be processed for residents.
Minister Croal reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensuring security of tenure for long-standing occupants. He emphasised that while the process requires careful technical work and legal steps, the end goal remains the same—providing residents with ownership documents that will bring peace of mind and open opportunities for investment and development.
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