5000 house lots to be allocated on ECD this week – Min Croal

…as $300M hardware complex opens at Enmore

The Housing and Water Ministry will commence the allocation of some 5000 house lots along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) this week, according to Minister Collin Croal.
On Sunday last, during the opening of a $300 million hardware complex at Estate Road, Enmore, ECD, Minister Croal made the pronouncement.
The Minister pointed out, during his remarks, that over the past 18 months, the Government has been accelerating its massive housing drive as it moves towards delivering on its manifesto promise of providing 50,000 house lots to Guyanese by the year 2025.

On the East Coast alone, the Government allocated close to 4750 house lots, Croal added. Allocations were made at La Bonne Intention, Mon Repos, La Reconnaissance, Annandale, Vigilance, Strathspey, and Bladen Hall.
Additionally, he said the Ministry is acquiring lands for new housing developments from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) and the Guyana Sugar Incorporated (GuySuCo) to meet the housing demands in Region Four.
He noted that “The infrastructure work that is required to ensure that we are able to develop these new areas will cause billions of dollars.”
The Minister related that the construction sector is expected to grow by a further 10.2 per cent this year. He credited the continued growth in the construction sector to the Government’s national housing drive, as well as other major investments by the private sector.
“The construction sector is expected to grow by a further 10.2 per cent this year. Under 18 months, one can expect, by the end of this year when we evaluate, the construction sector will grow by 40 per cent.”
Minister Croal pointed out that the demand for construction materials and hardware will continue to increase and therefore, the opening of a new hardware store in Enmore is timely, as it will help to meet the demand on the East Coast.
“We welcome these kinds of investments. We support it and you can count on us as a Government and as a Ministry…for any help that we can provide to help you grow even more,” he said.

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall, also said that by the end of the year the Government will spend an additional $15 billion to upgrade and expand community roads.
“We still have hundreds of roads more to get done and our streets within communities…it is a commitment by President, Irfaan Ali that all community streets will be upgraded the asphaltic concrete or rigid surface concrete,” Dharamlall said.
Meanwhile, after 36 months of construction, Imran Ally Shopping Complex, the $300 million hardware, and variety store officially opened its doors on Sunday last – a move which is seen as critical in servicing the East Coast of Demerara corridor amid the current construction boom in the country.
Proprietor for the business, Imran Ally, in his remarks at the opening ceremony said that his vision for the business has been years in the making.
“It has been really, really tough. This building took us three years to finish, and it has been a tough task. We work day and night sometimes. As I stand here and I speak to you, I’m a businessman, but I have also been a driver, a porter, a mason, a plumber, a painter. I’ve had to be everything here,” Ally said.
The shopping complex is situated on 46,000 square feet of land and provides construction material in addition to furniture, appliances, fixtures and fittings, and services. Ally said that the aim of opening the hardware complex is for customers to shop for all that they need to complete their homes.
“Our aim is for when a customer steps into this building, their house must complete; they must have everything, from the smallest of the item to the largest of item; from a grain of sand to as big as a 25-ft zinc sheet,” he explained.
Ally said that his business falls into place to meet the needs of the country, but he admitted that there is a need for many more large-scale businesses such as his.
“We believe that this business falls into place to meet the needs of the demands of the customers and the community and the country at large. I believe strongly that when these doors open that this business alone will not be able to suffice the needs of the country.”