Residents of No. Three, No. Four and No. Five Villages, West Coast Berbice are a step closer to getting formal titles for lands they and their ancestors have been living on for decades.
Today, the Government of Guyana through the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, launched a land registration exercise at the No. 5 Primary School which is intended to provide each family with a Certificate of Title for the land they and their foreparents have been living on for decades without a formal title.
In a meeting with the residents, the Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall SC MP, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs explained that this exercise was commenced over a decade ago beginning at Cotton Tree Village, West Coast Berbice. It is now being extended to the neighbouring villages of No. Three, No. Four and No. Five.
At that time the Hon. Attorney General had promised that once Cotton Tree is completed, the exercise will be extended. He informed the residents on Saturday that since the Cotton Tree Village exercise is about to be completed, in getting with the Government’s commitment and promise, the exercise is now being extended.
In his address to the residents, he explained the importance of having formal legal title for the lands.
“It is this legal instrument that will allow each title holder to lawfully transmit this land to their heirs and beneficiaries. It is this instrument that will lawfully allow for the lands to be sold and for the purchasers to receive a Title and it is this instrument that will allow for the lands to be used as collateral for borrowing at commercial banks and lending institutions,” he said.
“While many are pontificating publicly about empowering people, pontification without action is nothing but empty rhetoric. What our Government is doing is not mere talking, but delivering real empowerment to people. I must emphasise that it is the Government that will be bearing almost all the costs in this exercise. The beneficiaries of these titles in the end will pay little or nothing but will get a Certificate of Title for their lands after living as glorified squatters for generations,” he added.
The Hon. Attorney General emphasised that the citizens’ cooperation is crucial for the process to be completed.
“You are to assist and cooperate with the sworn land surveyors from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission who will begin work in your community. It will entail a survey of the entire block of the village as well as an occupational survey of each house lot. It may involve persons being required to adjust their fences in order to have clear ingress and egress to streets in the community as well as to bring alignment to persons property that may extend beyond its lawful boundaries,” he said.
The citizens expressed their gratitude to the Government of Guyana for this initiative and they thanked President Irfaan Ali and his team of competent Ministers for the excellent job they are doing for the people of Guyana.
Also in attendance at the engagement were Mr. Faizal Jaffarally Member of Parliament, Region Five (Mahaica – Berbice), Mr. Rion Peters, Vice-Chairman, Region Five and staff Ministry of Legal Affairs. Leading the team from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission was Mr. Rene Duesbury.
