48 Lima Sands residents receive long-awaited land titles

After more than two decades of anticipation, 48 residents of Lima Sands on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two, were finally granted their Certificates of Title, securing their rightful ownership of the lands they occupy.

The residents were presented with their documents during an outreach in the State House compound at Anna Regina.

The outreach was led by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwyn Greaves.

One of the recipients Gregory Tyrell expressed his elation after an 11-year wait to obtain his land title.

“Today, I am extremely excited to be the owner of a land. A piece of land will actually give you opportunities. I want to take a loan now and commence my construction. So, I’m extremely excited,” he told the Department of Public Information (DPI).

He expressed gratitude to the government for expediting the land ownership process for him and the other recipients.

Thelda Fernandes, who waited for 13 years, expressed her immense pride and gratitude. She thanked the minister and her staff for their efforts in expediting the process.

The distribution of land titles in Lima Sands is the delivery of a promise made by Minister Rodrigues when she visited the region just over a year ago.

During her address, the minister clarified that the process began in April of last year, but the agency encountered a few bottlenecks that impeded progress. The situation was further compounded by squatting.

“It made it difficult to have a conclusive plan, but we persevered and we stayed faithful to our commitment and today the first set of titles, 48 titles will be handed out,” she stated.

Region Two has benefitted from tremendous investments in the housing sector over the past three years. Minister Rodrigues announced that thus far, some $3.5 billion has been invested in the region in infrastructure.  

“So we are transforming communities across the country and the Ministry of Housing is leading an effort in ensuring that there’s transformation in the infrastructure, but more importantly, where there’s transformation in people’s lives,” she underscored.

The processing of titles will now continue at the Regional Office, and over 600 residents will be able to receive their Certificates of Title upon completion of verification.

The areas for which titles can now be processed include Henrietta, Coffee Grove, Richmond, La Belle Alliance, Lima, Fear Not, Sparta, Windsor Castle, and Hampton Court.

Additionally, over 70 residents were able to uplift their Cement and Steel subsidy vouchers as the distribution process continued in the region. Other services were offered including signing up for house lots and Agreements of Sale for Onderneeming Phase One, Two and Three and Lima Sands.