The Housing Ministry on Tuesday conducted the penultimate one-stop shop for Region Three distributing 740 lots for the Recht door Zee, Phase Two Area.
The exercise, which was conducted at the Hugh Anderson Sports Complex, Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara, saw 200 of those lots dedicated to a special pilot project targeting teachers, police, and nurses.
Delivering the feature address, Housing and Water Minister, Irfaan Ali stated that millions of dollars have been invested in housing in Region Three.
Minister Ali said there have been new, never-before-seen trends in the approach to housing.
Housing and Water Minister, Irfaan Ali
“We have committed ourselves to the task of ensuring that the primary function of the Central Housing and Planning Authority be the meeting of the housing requirement of our people, in a structured community fashion and in a way that brings to bear a modern approach to housing development,” the housing minister stated.
He noted that the ministry is attempting to bring a development mix in government schemes that would not only showcase ethnic diversity, seek to bridge barriers and break down social dimensions based on differences in profession, financial status and social standing.
Ali remarked that society and communities should be integrated in such a way that all is involved equally in the developmental process.
The last five years has seen the worst financial crisis, which has fuelled parallel calamities in food, energy, environment and jobs.
Describing poverty in the United States as staggering, Ali said about 22 per cent of America is living in poverty with one in every 22 persons below the age of 18.
He made comparisons with several Caribbean countries that have been forced to cut-back on spending in borrowing to pay public servants.
“We here in Guyana can count ourselves lucky because not only was our economy resilient enough to withstand the pressures but we were able to grow in the first half of this year by more than five per cent,” Ali remarked.
“It is for this reason that the government has been able to invest in critical areas such as the housing sector.” With the installation of electricity, the investment in the Recht door Zee area would total Gy$340 million.
Ali noted that the maximum revenue generated from such a one- stop shop would be in the vicinity of Gy$74 million, pointing to the difference of Gy$286 million.
Since the massive allocation of housing plots began in the region, more than 20,000 have been distributed, benefitting about 85,000 persons.
Tuesday’s one- stop-shop also catered for the relocation of 72 squatters from several settlements including Plastic City, West Ruimveldt, Turkeyen/ Sophia, Broad and Lombard Streets, and High and Barrack Streets.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH& PA) Myrna Pitt said that work is underway at Phase Two to develop the 700 plots.
She noted that the area has been identified for the implementation of a pilot under the second Low Income Settlement (LIS) project through the Inter-American Development Bank (IBD) that would see three categories of professionals becoming home owners.
According to Pitt, the area has also been designated for use by the implementers of the Core Homes Pilot Project which is aimed at improving occupancy in the shortest possible time.
“As we continue to aggressively pursue a policy of divestment of land for the purpose of residential use, we would like to reiterate that the land is being provided for construction of homes.
We do not want to see lands lying idle; we want to see homes being built with the same urgency that your application has been pursued,” Pitt said.
She said the aim of the Housing Ministry is to ensure that each customer is satisfied at the end of the day and a contribution is made to the consolidation of family life.
The housing sector continues its dramatic growth to transform the country and stimulate the national economy.
The next one- stop- shop is slated for next week in the mining town of Linden.
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