The Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GL&SC) is currently examining the possibility of having a National Land Policy in place as early as 2018, Commissioner Trevor Benn said on Tuesday, the Department of Public Information (DPI) has reported.
According to Benn, Guyana has been without such a policy for many years. The land policy will see the proper governance of both public and private lands, he explained.
“We are at the very infant stage of the policy and the board is spearheading the exercise…It will be through a participatory process, to reach out to all Guyanese to get their vision, of what that policy should look like”, the Commissioner was quoted by DPI as saying.
Benn expressed optimism that the policy could be ready for parliament very soon.
According to Benn, the presidential Commission of Inquiry on land rights issues may have some recommendations to make toward the process, which will also see much public consultations.
Other initiatives, the Commission hope to get underway, include a revised National Geographic Information System Policy which will guide work in that area. Work is also ongoing on the Land Surveyors (Profession) Act, which is expected to be taken to Parliament in the new year, DPI said.
The Commission will also commence the implementation of a US$14.8M sustainable Land Development and Management Project that will have three main outcomes.
According to DPI, Benn said that apart from non-performing leases, some of the challenges over the year for the commission include informal subletting and transfers of public lands, highly dependent paper based operations, insufficient resources to open and develop new areas for various land uses and informal occupation of public lands.
