Croal says no new squatting areas to be regularized, urges squatters to relocate

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal on Monday urged squatters along the river beds and sea defences in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) to relocate.

Minister Croal addressed the issue during an event at the Regional Democratic Council at Vreed-en-Hoop and said that areas have already been earmarked for regularisaion. The sea defence areas cannot be regularized, hence the minister urged the squatters to relocate.

“Don’t go and see some open space and take it up and think that we will be responding to regularisng you.

“I don’t know how much clearer I can be in that regard.

“…however, you have a compassionate and caring government and so you have a number of areas around the railway line that we have permitted because we see it is not in any way so we have started work for regularization of those areas,” Minister Croal said.

This includes a squatting area in Vergenoegen which will be regularized in the months to come.

There is a massive housing development ongoing at Edinburgh, Anna Catherina, Cornelia Ida, Stewartville and Meten-Meer-Zorg. The Minister said that some 13,652 applications are pending.

“That tells you that while we are allocating, you still have new persons that are applying and obviously if they have met the criteria, they too will have the ability to own their own lot or their own home,” the Minister said.

In addition, access to finance for construction of houses is being made easier with initiatives by the government and private companies. At the aforementioned communities, the Government’s housing assistance programme with local banks provide for the construction of 500 low-income houses. Landowners also have access to the Central Housing and Planning Authority’s steel and cement programme which assists by subsidising the cost for the building materials.

Minister Croal said the housing drive in Region Three will continue to expand and that the Ministry has already earmarked the Wales community for this job.

He said: “Our next focus for Region Three will see allocations be done within the Wales community.

“…we also have to note that we can’t always get where we want [because] it’s an availability of land.”

In addition, the Minister said another office for the ministry will be constructed in Vreed-en-Hoop near the Guyana Water Incorporated office to respond to the growing housing needs in the region.