Manifesto promised fulfilled as 50,000 house lots distributed

The Housing Ministry on Friday surpassed 50,000 house lots distributed since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government returned to office in 2020.

In its 2020 Manifesto, the party had promised to deliver 50,000 house lots during first five years in office.

Prior to Friday, the party had boasted that it had surpassed all except one of its campaign promises.

Addressing would-be homeowners at a Dream Realised house lot distribution in New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Friday, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, said the Ministry had not yet met its target of 50,000 house lots.

“Through the Ministry of Housing, we have been able to allocate 48,661 house lots over the last five years, and we have made available over the next two days, today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday), 1,800 house lots to be allocated here in Region Six.”

By Friday afternoon, however, that 50,000 house lots target had been surpassed. And the exercise will continue today.

Minister Rodrigues noted that most of the homeowners were between the ages of 21 and 35 years.

“Guyana has a young population, giving our young population a longer time to acquire wealth over a period of their lifetime and giving them that responsibility early of home ownership and property ownership,” she said.

Meanwhile, as it relates to Region Six, before Friday, allocated house lots had just surpassed 3,550.

“You know that you can rely on us, you know that you can trust us to ensure that the progress continues. In Region Six alone, we have distributed 3,555 lots, but we still have a small backlog in the region because every day, people are coming to us. People have seen the delivery in the housing sector, and young people are coming to us every day as soon as they attain the age of 21 years old, they are coming to us and submitting their applications. So all of the time, the demand keeps increasing, so we have to make more lands available.” Minister Rodrigues pointed out.

Meanwhile, speaking at the same event on Friday, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal explained that there is a competing interest for land with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) putting in a big claim to facilitate its resuscitation and expansion objectives.

“You have the cattle farmers who are in a dilemma too, because they want land for themselves, and then we keep moving them. So, you have the encroachment now in terms of the farmland, whether it is for rice, it is encroaching obviously where the cattle farmers are, and we have to keep shifting the cattle farmers inwards. And then again, on government’s side you have competing interests for land for housing development. So, the dynamics therefore, means that when I say you must not take lightly that your government is committed and is delivering,” he pointed out.

The Minister noted that the house lots are heavily subsidized.

He pointed out that there is a capacity challenge because the contractors are not able to keep up with the rate of implementation for the infrastructure work that is required to ensure that land becomes ready for distribution as quickly as possible.

In Region Six, the 1800 house lots were distributed at the New Overwinning Housing Scheme, and together with the New Glasgow Housing Scheme use up 637 acres of land.

The land there was categorized as low, moderate, middle, or high income.

There will be two entrances to those two schemes, which are located about two miles away from central New Amsterdam.