An allottee (right) chooses her house lot from an envelope held by Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues
Some 700 residents of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) were allocated house lots by the Housing and Water Ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) on Wednesday.
At the exercise, which was held at the Leonora Track and Field Facility, the lots were allocated to individuals within the low-, moderate-, middle- and high-income brackets at the Stewartville and Meten-Meer-Zorg housing schemes.
According to a release from the Ministry, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal; Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues; CH&PA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sherwyn Greaves and regional officials along with others were present at the activity.
A section of the residents at the activity
Upon taking office in 2020, the Government met an application backlog of more than 14,000 in the region, the release stated, adding that Minister Croal stated that the Irfaan Ali-led Administration has allocated 4259 house lots to residents at previous exercises in the past two years, as compared to just over 700 house lots under the coalition government in five years (2015-2020).
“That means that you have a Government that understands the necessity of ensuring we are able to respond to the plight of our people. You have a Government that is caring, that is not only looking at your infrastructural needs, but also your social needs and housing is one,” the Housing and Water Minister is quoted as saying.
Croal also highlighted that the first phase of infrastructural work was completed in a number of new housing areas, while the second phase will commence under his Ministry’s 2023 work programme. More than 100 homes are expected to be completed soon, while construction for another 100 is expected to commence by the end of the year. Works are also ongoing in existing housing schemes. Some 28 applicants pre-approved under the Steel and Cement Housing Subsidy Programme are expected to receive the voucher for their materials in a few weeks. The Minister also outlined several other projects that will transform the region, such as the Schoonord-to-Crane four-lane highway and Wales Development Project.
Meanwhile, Minister Rodrigues, in her remarks, stated that the Government’s housing drive was seeking not only to provide house lots, but also to ensure that these options were affordable for Guyanese, especially vulnerable groups.
“This is our goal of ensuring affordable homeownership for Guyanese, regardless of which region you live in, you will see several initiatives rolled out across the country, including our hinterland regions,” Rodrigues is quoted as saying in the release.
CEO Greaves highlighted the important role of housing in enhancing quality of life and generational wealth creation.
So far, the Government has allocated approximately 19,000 house lots over the past two years countrywide. With just one major housing drive left on the schedule for the rest of the year, the Housing and Water Ministry and the CH&PA are aiming to allocate a total of 20,500 house lots by year end.
