After 25 years: 30 Bath Settlement residents receive land transports
Just before the turn of the century, the community of Plantation Hope, Bath Settlement, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) became habitable and persons quickly took up land there which was being issued by the then Housing Ministry.
However, it was not until some 25 years later that the titles to those lands were issued to those residents. The land had previously belonged to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and was under the control of the Sugar Welfare Fund.
On Friday, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, handed out 30 land titles to the long-time landowners.
This was the second batch of titles to be handed out to the community to complete the process.
Three residents of Plantation Hope walk proudly home after receiving certificates of title for their land
“Today cumulates a process that we started about a year ago whereby we came into this community and promised persons who had an agreement of sale with GuySuCo [Guyana Sugar Corporation] for decades for lots of land that they have been living on and constructed houses, but who have not been granted transports to work with those people, so that they get their transports, to work with those people so that they get their transports,” the Attorney General told Guyana Times after handing out the transports on Friday.
Dularry Harrybobin said that the transport was a treasure for her.
“Is long I have been waiting. I live here for over 25 years. I have to see what I will do with it. When I wanted, they didn’t give me they till ah finish making my house,” the woman said with an appreciative smile on her face.
Another recipient, Hansmattie Dyal, who has been occupying a portion of land that she did not legally own for the past 25 years even constructing a house on it, said she now feels secure.
“Nobody can take it away from me now,” she said.
Nandlall said the process is taking place countrywide. He noted that several other villages would also benefit from a similar project. These include Enterprise, Tuschen, Cotton Tree and Numbers Four, Five, Six and Seven Villages on the West Coast of Berbice.
Titles were issued to homeowners 25 years after they signed agreements of sale
Government has supported the residents in this process by waiving the fees.
“The transport can be used for so many purposes, for example, it can be used as collateral for lending. So, importantly it makes the people the owner of the land finally, so I’m happy that we have concluded this,” Nandlall pointed out while noting that similar exercises are taking place around the country.
“Because historically, for whatever reason you have had this situation whereby ex-sugar workers or even current sugar workers purchased these lands years ago and have not been able to get the transport or the certificate of title for these lands.”
He said the current Government has been going to every community to single out those persons, bring them together and coordinate a joint effort to produce the titles.
The agencies involved include the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the Land Registry Department and the Commissioner of Title or the Land Court Judge. (G4)
