CH&PA completes surveys in 159 areas nationwide for regularisation in 2019
DPI, Guyana, Monday, December 30, 2019
The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has recorded notable developments for the year 2019.
Director for Community Development Gladwin Charles addressed the agency’s success in squatter regularisation and relocation at a press conference on Monday.
(from left) Director for Community Development, Central Housing & Planning Authority (CH&PA), Gladwin Charles; Director of Projects, CH&PA, Omar Narine and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CH&PA Lelon Saul
Regularisation
“Over the years CH&PA has been involved in the regularisation and relocation of squatters. In the areas that we can regularise, we have identified 173 areas that we are regularising in the various regions,” Charles stated.
Those areas are located in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10. Tabatinga, Lethem (Region 9) is one of the success stories.
According to the Director, Tabatinga, which started as a squatting area with about 73 in the 1990s, has now been converted into the largest housing scheme in the region with some 525 lots.
Meanwhile, Charles said they have completed 159 surveys out of the 173 areas countrywide with the remaining 14 at various stages of completion.
“The block surveys have [been] completed, and we’re working with the legal department in terms of transferring of ownership of the land to CH&PA and that’s’ approximately 500 lots. In total, when the regularisation is completed, we would have approximately 24,000 lots that we would be regularising throughout the different regions.
“Out of those areas that have completed surveys, we have approximately 85 percent of the lots regularised. We’ve verified ownership and started the process of [land] titles.”
Charles added that Sophia, Georgetown, poses the most difficulty to regularise, but the Authority was committed to getting it done.
Minister within the Ministry of Communities Annette Ferguson is flanked by officials of the CH&PA at a press conference this morning.
“We have approximately 5,549 in the area (Sophia), and we’ve regularised approximately 85 percent in terms of verification and about 75 percent of those persons have received their titles to date.”
According to the director, one of the CH&PA’s most significant achievements this year was the regularisation of the Mount Sinai, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice area earlier in the year.
Over 1,008 lots were regularised with some 300 people receiving land titles.
Relocation
Meanwhile, Charles said they were currently working on relocating Sophia residents squatting on reserves and under power lines. Discussions have been held with at least 500 residents about the move.
Charles also noted the CH&PA’s collaboration with Food for the Poor which led to the building of 20 houses for the squatters whose dwellings at Broad and Lombard Streets, Charlestown, were destroyed by fire back in March.
According to Charles, the houses are almost finished and should be handed over sometime within the first week of January.