Almost 400 land owners obtain Certificates of Title
Close to 400 landowners along East Coast Demerara obtained their Certificate of Titles, while 50 families across various communities received vouchers through the Steel and Cement Subsidy initiative to commence construction of their homes.
The distribution of the land ownership documents and the subsidies took place at the Ministry of Housing and Water’s ‘Dream Realised’ exercise, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal, on Wednesday.
For the nearly 400 individuals who obtained their certificates of title, it represents a tangible step towards securing their property rights and fostering a sense of stability.
One of the beneficiaries who obtained his land certificate, Keshan Denbichan, was elated to collect the document after waiting for more than 20 years.
“I feel good because I have been looking forward to this for a very long time,” he expressed.
James Novreja from No. 2 Canal in Region Three welcomed the timely issuance of the vouchers, noting, “I get a start. This will help me a lot to start building.”
After waiting for more than a year, Claudine Bart from Norton Street in Georgetown expressed relief upon receiving the voucher and stated that she would move immediately to purchase the items to begin the process.
Bart expressed thanks to the government for its kind gesture.
Under the Steel and Cement Subsidy programme, homebuilders constructing homes valued at $6 million or less were provided with steel and one sling of cement to construct their foundation, while persons with budgets ranging from $6 to $25 million received two slings of cement.
During brief remarks, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, revealed that over 430 steel and cement vouchers have been distributed in Region Four to date, with an injection of $107 million.
Some 36 Region Three residents recently received the vouchers. Overall, more than 1,095 vouchers, totaling over $274 million, have been issued under the initiative.
Meanwhile, to make homeownership more accessible to everyone, the government has collaborated with local banking institutions to allow persons to access funds to build their homes.
Many homebuilders are benefiting from this undertaking as a result of banks drastically lowering their interest rates.
“We have been working with the banks to expedite the mortgage application process and I am pleased to say that through this collaboration, for this year alone, more than 2,100 mortgage applications have been approved,” Minister Croal highlighted.
These initiatives are part of a comprehensive plan being rolled out by the government to ensure Guyanese citizens have access to opportunities to achieve homeownership.
