Greenwich Park residents express joy after receiving land titles

Chandra D’Souza has lived in Greenwich Park for decades, but she has never held legal title to the land on which her house is built. That changed on the first day of the year when President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali presented her with what she described as a ‘priceless gift’ – title to her land.

D’Souza and 22 other residents on the East Bank Essequibo in Region Three are celebrating the long-awaited land titles and housing-related benefits under the government’s ongoing land regularisation programme.

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) is leading the initiative as part of a nationwide drive to provide security of tenure to residents who have occupied state lands for years, allowing families to formally own their property and pass it on to future generations.

“We waited a very long time, but we are thankful. This title is precious. I truly appreciate this generous gift. It means a lot to my family…my dad, and everybody else,” D’Souza said.

Another resident, Prakash Indar, stated that while the process took some time, he did not wait in vain.

Prakash Indar described the moment he received his title as a victory. “I thank the president, the administration, and the housing system. It may take a long time, but we still get it in the end, and we must be thankful for that,” Indar said.

It was a moment of pure joy and accomplishment for Rokmin Ashma, who was all smiles after receiving her title.

“I am happy because I’ve been waiting long years to get this certificate. I feel very happy. I am very grateful for this, and may God bless the president.”

Ashma said she is particularly grateful because, as she is getting older, “and don’t know what can happen at any time, my children and grandchildren will now have this title and can do much more to improve their lives.”

Greenwich Park comprises 52 house lots that were identified by the program for formalisation.

To date, 23 families have received their certificates of title. Of these, 18 were given out on Old Year’s Day and five on New Year’s Day by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Vanessa Benn.

Both handover exercises were held at the State House in Georgetown.