President Ali announces ‘Operation Clear-up’ to resolve land title issues countrywide

President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has announced the launch of ‘Operation Clear-up,’ an initiative aimed at regularising communities and resolving outstanding land title issues in those areas.

The special operation, spearheaded by the Ministry of Housing and Water, will see the resolution of longstanding housing matters across the country.

The president made the announcement during a land title distribution ceremony in Vergenoegen, Region Three, where 47 families from the Acme Housing Scheme and Railway Embankment received their titles.

“So, this is one aspect of operation clear-up. We have many communities across the country, which we will be working to have operation clear-up resolve outstanding matters in terms of land titles,” he explained.

The president mentioned Blueberry Hill in Region Ten, where the initiative will see nearly 160 titles ready for distribution.

“So all across our country, this activity is going on. We know how important the title is to you so that you can have access to loans, you can have legitimate ownership of your land,” the president said.

In terms of Vergenoegen (Acme housing scheme), President Ali said the area has been occupied for the past 25 to 49 years.

The area is divided into two sections- Vergenoegen Railway Embankment with 64 lots and Vergenoegen South of the Railway Embankment with 86 lots, making a total of 150 lots.

The regularisation process began in 2021 with block and occupation surveys conducted by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA). In June and July 2023, the Community Development Department and the Surveys Unit carried out verification exercises after completing the final survey plans.

The verification revealed a total of 150 lots, with 94 residential lots eligible for allocation and processing of titles. Additionally, 24 lots were identified as business premises, and the Planning Department of CHPA is being consulted to assess and provide guidance on these lots.

The head of state has committed to delivering the remaining titles by the end of next week.

“So we are confident that by next Friday, every single family  would have their titles…except the areas where we have issues,” he assured the residents.

President Ali reiterated that the initiative forms part of the government’s commitment to ensuring an improve the standard of living for all Guyanese