Lands being identified to meet housing demand in Port Kaituma -Minister Croal

The Ministry of Housing and Water is partnering with the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) to identify lands in the Oronoque area to meet the high demand for housing in Port Kaituma, Region One.

Minister Hon. Collin Croal made this announcement during an engagement with village leaders of the Matarkai sub-district at the Port Kaituma Secondary School on Monday.

He explained that the intention is to identify a portion of land in Oronoque, which will fall under the management of the Ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA). This area will be developed and allotted to qualified persons through an allocation process.

“For expediency, for the allocation or the identified allottees will come through the CH&PA process, but the document for ownership will come from GLSC. So, I am working on some form of collaboration with GLSC to assist in that regard,” the Minister explained.

Additionally, the Government plans to restart its Hinterland Housing programme to address the needs in Amerindian and hinterland communities.  Minister Croal assured the residents of Region One that they would not be left out of that programme.  He said in addition to acquiring lands, the Government would ensure that all of the necessary infrastructure and key services are in place to enhance the lives of the residents within the communities. This includes enhanced water distribution systems, roads and bridges, health and education and social services.

Prior to 2015, the PPP/C Government had launched the Hinterland Housing programme, where more than 600 residents benefited from the Second Low Income Settlement initiative. The $40 million programme was initiated by the Housing Ministry, in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank, and Oronoque was one of the many areas targeted in Barima-Waini.