Over 200 households in No. 5 village to be regularized

After decades of occupying lands in No. 5 Village, Region Five, without any documentation to show ownership, over 200 households will soon be regularised commencing July 11.

The announcement was made on Saturday by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, during a meeting with residents, during which, he informed them of the process.

Homeownership is something that the President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali-led government has been advocating for since taking office in August 2020.

When the lands are regularised, residents will be presented with certificates of title, making them legal proprietors.

The AG explained that a survey of the entire area will be done first followed by individual lots to kick-start the process for persons to receive their certificates of title.

Minister Nandlall enlightened residents that according to the law, they are deemed squatters. However, he noted that government is determined to make them owners of the land they are occupying. As such, residents were encouraged to fully participate to ensure the process is a success.

“This thing cannot happen without your cooperation, and the speed that it takes will depend upon how speedily you are going to be cooperate with the process. Sometimes we are very frustrated because we do not get the cooperation from you, and if one of you do not cooperate, it may affect a whole host of others because sometimes the houses are in one line and you’re holding up the process, will hold up the process for others.”

The process of regularisation began over a year ago at Cotton Tree Village, and is aimed at capturing all the surrounding communities, including No. 3, 4 and 5 Villages.

The Attorney General said he was instructed by President Ali to visit communities countrywide to identify legal issues people have in relation to land. He said once government is able to intervene, it would try to resolve the matter as far as possible.

Residents welcomed the process. One such person was Parbatia Misir who has been in the area for close to four decades.

“I think it is a very good exercise the government is doing and I am glad because is everyday you see people fighting with their neighbour, so I think it is a very good idea,” Misir stated.

Lelon Johnson, a resident in the community for the past 60 years shared similar sentiments.

He said, “the process is a good process because everybody would be able to get title for their land and you would be able to go to the bank that you can obtain a loan.”

Since taking office, government has stressed the importance of homeownership. Only last year, 53 Enterprise families on the East Coast Demerara obtained their certificates of title for land they bought and occupied for over 20 years ago. The process was spearheaded by the Attorney General.[Extracted and modified from the Department of Public Information].