The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) has begun working with the sixth community this year to regularise land usage. According to the Ministry of the Presidency, Commissioner of that organisation, Mr. Trevor Benn, along with a team from the Commission visited Kwakwani, Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region Ten) to initiate a process, which is expected to be completed in six months, to provide Transports for lands that are already occupied.
The GLSC has already initiated similar programmes in areas in Bartica, Cuyuni- Mazaruni (Region Seven), Aranaputa, Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo (Region Nine), Port Kaituma, Barima- Waini (Region One), Mahdia, Potaro- Siparuni (Region Eight) and Mocha Arcadia, Demerara- Mahaica (Region Four). An approximate 1200 persons stand to benefit from the process, the MotP said.
During the outreach, Commissioner Benn announced that based on the findings of the visit to Kwakwani, a team from the Land Management Division of the Commission will be deployed during the first week of November to set the wheels in motion. “We will be assigning someone to the community. They will be here to work with the [Neighbourhood Democratic Council] NDC in identifying these issues. We have many issues and we won’t be able to solve all of them at once but we will have the NDC identify one area and we are going to fix the issues there and then we will move on from there,” the MotP quoted Benn as saying.
The Commissioner also said that the granting of titles to establish rightful ownership to deserving persons will help to improve their quality of lives and the status of their communities. “The objective is to make sure that in a short space of time we can resolve the issues of land titling for all of you. I am surprised to learn that almost everyone in Kwakwani is without a lease. That is depressing and we have to fix that for each of you. You cannot improve your lives if you do not have ownership to basic things like land. You cannot get a mortgage if you do not have the documents for the land,” he said.
Overseer of the NDC, Ms. Clairasa Hohenkirk, also in an invited comment, said that the approach from the GLSC is welcomed and the local government organ is pleased that the land issues will be addressed, according to MotP.
