From squatters to legal land owners: 46 families allocated lands at Lust-en-Rust

Forty-six families have now taken the first step to move from squatters to legal land owners. On Friday, the families who occupy lands on Cameron Dam, Region Three, were allocated house lots in the Lust-en-Rust community.

The allocation exercise was led by Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal.

Earlier this year, Minister Croal informed residents of infrastructural works earmarked for the land they currently occupy which meant they would need to be relocated.

During the allocation exercise, each family was allocated a plot of land measuring 45×80 feet.

Minister Croal in his address, disclosed that residents would be able to access the lands which they have been allocated as there is ongoing infrastructure works in the community.

“There is an inner road that is being done on the site but you can access. It is about 80 per cent complete and the first phase for the infrastructure will finish in two weeks. So, persons will not be hindered. All will be shown their location,”the minister told the residents.

It was agreed during the meeting that on Sunday, residents will be taken to identify their lands accompanied by staff of the Central Housing and Planning Authority.

Minister Croal told residents that government is working to streamline all housing areas in the region.

Infrastructural works costing $3.4 billion are already ongoing to develop five new housing schemes to accommodate 2,800 allottees.

In the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Region, over 2,800 house lots were allocated in the last two years. At present, there are about 14,000 pending land applications in the ministry’s database.

The ministry, in an effort to address the backlog, will be hosting a ‘Dream realised’ event which will see hundreds of persons receiving house lots.

With that, minister Croal said “there is and there will be no need futuristically for anyone to occupy a land or a space for which they do not own… under President Ali’s government, we will work to ensure we make the lives of all our citizens better.”

The PPP/C Government remains committed to delivering 50,000 house lots to Guyanese within its first term in office. In its first two years, the administration was able to allocate over 15,000 house lots, two times more than the previous administration did in five years. [Extracted and modified from DPI]