CH&PA warns against illegal land occupation in Linden

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves has reaffirmed the agency’s firm stance against squatting and illegal land activities. During an impromptu visit at Phase 4 Amelia’s Ward/Fitz Hope in Linden by the CEO, there was a rise in unauthorised occupation of residential lots and illegal construction on land that had been properly allocated to families through legitimate channels.

In a statement on the CH&PA social media page, it was stated that Greaves addressed the community after reports surfaced that some individuals have been fraudulently selling allocated lots and advising buyers to claim false occupation dating back to 2017. He issued a stern warning to those affected by such deceptive practices, stating that any illegal structures erected on these lands are at risk of demolition. Furthermore, the ministry is under no obligation to acknowledge or honor any claims resulting from these illicit activities.
The CEO stressed that individuals engaging in these illegal actions not only jeopardise their current situation but also risk impairing their ability to access residential lots from the CH&PA in the future. “The Ministry will not be coerced into transactions by those involved in unlawful activities,” Greaves stated. “Their names are recorded, and such actions could impede legitimate transactions down the line.”
In his address, Greaves called on legitimate landowners in the area to remain vigilant and collaborate with the CH&PA in monitoring the region to prevent further squatting. He assured the public that the Ministry is committed to serving all eligible applicants and is actively seeking additional lands through National Industrial & Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) to meet growing demands.
In addition to addressing land issues, Greaves highlighted ongoing efforts to enhance the region’s infrastructure, announcing that an additional $80 million has been approved by the Board for road network upgrades in the area.

Will not condone
Only recently, while noting that the government has made tremendous efforts over the past four years in regularising existing squatting areas, Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues highlighted that the government will not condone the establishment of new illegal housing areas.
She made the comment during a recent broadcast of The Guyana Dialogue, where she made reference to a study which was conducted in the late 1990’s. The study revealed that there were over 200 identified squatting areas across the country at that time.
The minister noted that the high number of informal settlements in the country was due to the lack of a proper housing programme and legislation. As such Rodrigues noted that through the government’s efforts, a majority of these informal settlements were regularised.
“We found over 200 squatter settlements across the length and breadth of Guyana and there is a report to that effect. During the 10 years of the PPP/C from the 90’s to date we have regularised about 175 of those just over 200 communities,” she stated.
However, the minister said that the establishment of new squatting settlements within the country will not be tolerated by the government.
“There are areas that keep popping up around the country sometimes with squatters and we have the unpleasant task of removing those people especially when they’re located in a zero-tolerance area. We have been very clear that we are not tolerating any new squatting so if a new area was to popup overnight somewhere across the country that area would not be regularised because we really need to put an end to squatting, squatting is illegal,” she explained.
Moreover, the minister added that, with the government’s aggressive housing drive which seeks to allocate thousands of house lots to Guyanese citizens across the country, there is no need for persons to engage in squatting.
Some 1644 lots in 13 squatting areas in several regions have been regularised, benefitting hundreds of households between 2020 and 2023. For this year alone, eight squatting areas have been earmarked for regularisation in Regions Three and Four, benefitting 479 households.