Gov’t warns individuals about impersonating housing officials

The Ministry of Housing and Water has issued a stern warning to persons pretending to be officers and conducting business on behalf of the ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA).

Speaking at the ‘Dream Realised’ outreach at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Tuesday, Minister, Collin Croal said although some of the matters are already being addressed by the police, other citizens should look out for the ‘fraud matters’ and report them to the authority.

“We have been receiving numerous complaints and we have also been catching persons…who have been trying to sell house lots or sell dreams. We are asking…you to work with us to find persons who are trying to do this,” Minister Croal implored.  

“In order for us to make some persons criminally culpable we need the support of you on the ground,” he added.

Minister Croal said the ministry has also employed someone to carry out thorough investigations due to the many reports which are already before the courts.

He explained that payments should only be made at the ministry’s branches or during special outreaches in the various regions.

Meanwhile, as government moves ahead to promote legal land ownership, the housing ministry has also been deploying teams to areas that are known for squatting, to work with the people.  

“Squatting is illegal, taking occupancy of somebody else’s land is illegal, but you have a loving and caring president and government, so we have been working with many of those areas to help them,” the housing minister stated.

Success on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) has been identified as one of the hotspots for illegal settlements. A matter, Minister Croal said needs to be addressed. As such, a team from the CHPA has started to work with persons in the area to help in addressing the issue.