The Housing Ministry will soon launch an investigation into what is suspected to be a house lot racket involving its Essequibo Office, where people paid for housing lots but the money was not transferred to ‘ r state.
This is according to Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal, who was involved in a “Dream Realized” housing campaign in Anna Regina. Following the outreach, the Minister was asked about people who have been waiting for some time for their titles and other issues to take care of them.
“That has also been a problem. What we do is make sure that a thorough investigation is carried out before we can process those titles. We have had cases of people who paid for their land but that money was not transferred to the State which is why these issues have been held back for years. ”
“And we have made a conscious decision to deal with them on a case-by-case basis and I’m sure individuals will be pleased to know that we will be able to put things right once a thorough investigation is undertaken to process their titles and transport, ”the Minister said.
Croal also noted that the Government will pay close attention to the operation of the regional housing office and noted that it will visit the new facility. He further explained that they had increased the number of staff and also the quality of the staff.
When it comes to the Dream Realized event, Croal explained that they have been able to allocate over 300 lots. According to him, no one was turned away. In addition, a number of lots have been retained as they carry out investigations into individual issues.
“We have just completed two days here at Essequibo. This is phase one of our allocation for 2021. Our next allocation exercise, at the appropriate time, will be Charity. And it’s been a successful activity. ”
“I know that Essequibo Coast has not been hearing much for some time about our plans and programs for land allocation for Region Two. So over the two days, we’ve seen over 1000 people who came to the facility for one reason or another, including for allocations, ”the Minister also said.
But he noted that there have been instances where people have started building on land they do not own, so the Ministry’s database would reflect the land as empty. According to Croal, there are a number of such issues but the Ministry is trying to correct them.
“So what happens is that after a big drawing and then the Administration system doesn’t show allocation and so to us, it seems empty, we have a number of issues like that. Lima beach, for example, has a history and we are trying to put that right, ”the Minister said.
“We have been able to allocate over 300. There are a number, around 40, that we have withheld on the basis of an investigation that must be conducted on individual issues. You know Essequibo Coast has had its issues from these issues bordering on double allocations, people illegally occupying and then building on non-allocated areas. “
He successfully graduated the two-day initiative, with him and Deputy Housing Minister Susan Rodrigues able to meet every citizen who came in with a problem. According to him, no one was turned away. He also ensured that the event was conducted in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves, told residents that the agency is making every effort to make homeownership a reality for residents on the Essequibo Coast.
Greaves added that the massive housing campaign was driven by a recent visit to the region by President Irfaan Ali. On this note, he had stated that over 100 titles and transportation would be distributed over the two-day event and that the Ministry would also process new applications during the outreach.