Investigations to be conducted into land irregularities in Reg. Two – Min. Croal

− As Housing Ministry wraps up ‘Dream Realised’ housing drive in Essequibo

Minister of Housing and Water, Hon Collin Croal, has said that thorough investigations will be conducted into land irregularities found on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two. 

Minister Croal said the Ministry is establishing its regional office equipped with qualified personnel who will lead these investigations. A building has been identified, and a Regional Housing official appointed. 

“Specific emphasis will be placed on Essequibo, and one of the first steps will be to ensure there is a functional regional office…We want to bring some order to Region Two,” he told DPI.

The Housing Minister was at the time providing an update on the recently-concluded two-day ‘Dream Realised’ housing initiative in Anna Regina, where some 300 persons were allocated house lots in Onderneeming Phase Four. Over 40 allocations were reserved and await the investigation. 

Minister Croal said the Essequibo Coast has had longstanding land matters that border on double allocation, persons illegally occupying lands and houses being constructed in areas not under an allocation.

“So, what happens, after constructing in the Ministry’s system, it does not show an allocation was done, and so for us, it appears as vacant. We have a number of issues like that, and so Lima Sands has a history of that, and so, we are trying to rectify all of that,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Minister Croal, along with Minister within the Ministry, Hon. Susan Rodrigues and CEO of the Ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Mr. Sherwyn Greaves, met residents to address other housing matters.

The CEO explained that several longstanding land issues were resolved over the two days of the allocation event. 

“Fortunately, we had the two Ministers who were able to make immediate decisions to assist persons…mainly, we had some mix up with allocations, more than one person with one lot, and we were able to sort those out and people waiting years for title,” he explained.

The allocations in Essequibo add to the 3,600 lots the Government distributed in just five months last year as it looks to make 10,000 lots available in its first year in office. The President Ali Government plans to distribute 50,000 house lots during this first term.