According to Chief Executive Officer of Central Housing and Planning Authority, Lelon Saul, the issue of citizens occupying empty lots in Sophia/Cummings Lodge and other informal settlements must be addressed since it has implications for future infrastructural development.
“In time we will have to take the necessary action to ensure that squatting does not compromise future development,” Saul stated.
Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Communities Anette Ferguson, mentioned that the lands in Sophia and Cummings Lodge area were distributed by the previous administration before the elections in 2015 and the necessary guidelines needed to acquire the lands were not followed.
“It was not until this government came into office post-May 2015 that we were able to engage both the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and Lands and Survey to have the requisite procedure followed. The lands were handed over to CH&PA, and the agency paid for those lands,” Min. Ferguson stated.
According to Minister Ferguson, representatives from the CH&PA visited the areas where the residents were informed about the agency’s position. She added that officials were deployed to Sophia to address the concerns of past applicants and conduct on-the-spot registrations for interested persons.
The approach utilised to address the matter of residents squatting at Broad and Lambert Streets would also be introduced across the regions.
“We understand the need for people to be properly housed, but it must be done in a systematic and a structured way… the CH&PA is working with agencies such as NICIL, Guyana Lands and Survey and by extension, GUYSUCO to get lands so that our people can be properly housed,” Minister Ferguson said.
