– more residents benefit from steel & cement subsidy
Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, distributing steel vouchers to residents
Some 50 residents, who were allocated middle-income house lots in Amelia’s Ward Phase Four in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), were on Thursday given access to their lands during a lot identification exercise.
This is the second batch of persons to be granted the opportunity to move forward with the construction of their homes, with the first 60 residents gaining access to their lands in April.
Overall, the scheme has 400 house lots.
The first phase of distribution in Region 10 was done in April, benefitting 55 residents through a programme that was also rolled out in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
The CH&PA spent the last two years clearing the lands that were initially occupied by squatters, and conducting much-needed infrastructure works to continually grant allottees access.
Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry Susan Rodrigues and a house lot allottee
Since April’s exercise, these works have progressed significantly, with the access roads now being brought to the crusher run level.
Thursday’s exercise was led by Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry Susan Rodrigues and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves.
Minister Rodrigues stated that as works continue, more allottees will receive land access while adding that the incorporation of green spaces and health centres in the area’s design form part of the Government’s vision for a holistic and sustainable community.
Subsidy Programme
Meanwhile, in another measure to ensure the ease of homeownership, another set of residents in that region received vouchers under the Steel and Cement Housing Subsidy Programme.
After recognising that several house lots following their allocation were left empty due to their owners being unable to start building right away, the Government established this subsidy programme to aid the residents in starting the construction process whereby they are provided essential building materials.
In addition to this distribution at the Christianburg Wismar Secondary School in Linden, Minister Rodrigues and CH&PA’s Greaves also took the opportunity to address the concerns of residents.
