40 De Endragt residents receive land titles after decades of waiting
A total of 40 De Endragt, East Coast Demerara (ECD), residents received their certificates of title on Friday after decades of waiting, providing them with a more stable and secure quality of life.
The land documents were handed over during a simple ceremony by Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (GHPA) Sherwyn Greaves.
One recipient, Euston Johnson praised the government for empowering him with a land title, noting that he has been the sole occupant of the land since 1985.
“I have been waiting since 1985, and now in 2024 after 39 years, I am the owner of this land. I want to thank Minister Croal and President Ali for making this possible,” Johnson expressed.
Sooklall Persaud also emphasised his gratitude to the government, stating that his family has been waiting for some 38 years.
“We waited a long time for this. We have children, and now we can pass this down to our children,” he said.
This is the culmination of the regularisation exercise for Plantation De Endragt (Mon Repos North), which was facilitated by the housing ministry’s Community Development Department.
The move is part of President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s plan to ensure ownership documents are distributed to households in unregularised areas.
Regularisation of the area began in 2010 when the CHPA conducted occupation surveys.
These were followed by verification exercises carried out by the Community Development Department and the Surveys Unit.
According to Minister Croal, occupational surveys were completed for 67 lots, with 40 residents receiving their land titles during the distribution ceremony.
“This is five decades of occupancy that our president has fixed for you. Many of you, your parents were the original occupiers of this area. You are the next generation; you are the inheritors. But certainly, what you are going through in terms of uncertainty, [for] your children, their future is now secured,” he told the residents.
Similar exercises have been conducted in other areas along the East Coast, including Bachelor’s Adventure, Chateau Margot, and Pigeon Island.
The government will also host regularisation exercises in Enmore and Mocha/ Arcadia on the East Bank Demerara, among other key areas.
