The newly appointed Board of Directors for the Central Housing and Planning Authority have begun meeting virtually, with the aim of fast-tracking the mandate of the agency in the interest of all Guyanese.
Cabinet recently approved the new board to take up their respective appointments. The Board is chaired by Dr. Emanuel Cummings and its other members include; Julius Fabaer, David Armogan, Michael Hutson, Cosmos De Santos, Azeena Baksh, Yonnick David, and Chandrowtie Sarran. Dr. Cummings once served as a board member in the past and like the others, they all bring to the table an impressive and diverse range of background disciplines and a wealth of experience. The other representatives on the board from the various municipalities include; Mr. Rikhiram Ramphal
Councilor-Mahdia Town Council, Reg. 8, Mr. Chattergoon Ramnauth, His Worship the Mayor- Rose Hall Town, Alfred Mentor, Deputy Mayor -the City of Georgetown, Mr. Borris Singh, Councilor -Town Council of Mabaruma, Reg. 1, Mr. Imran Amin, Deputy Mayor-Town Council of Corrivertown, Mr. Brian Lewis, Senior Buildings Inspector- Town Council, Linden, Ms. Winifred Heywood, Her Worship the Mayor – New Amsterdam, Mr. John Macedo, His Worship the Mayor- Town Council of Lethem, Mr. Kenneth Williams, Councilor- Town Council of Bartica and Mr. Herman Persaud, Councilor- Anna Regina Town Council.
The Board held its first meeting on Tuesday last and another meeting was convened earlier today. The members were welcomed by the Hon. Collin Croal Minister of Housing and Water, Ms. Susan Rodrigues, Ministers within the Ministry, and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sherwyn Greaves.
Minister Croal said he looks forward to working with the board on several policy matters which will see the fast-tracking of processes relating to house lot and planning permission applications. Given the challenges facing the Housing agency, Minister Croal noted that the Board must meet as often as possible. In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the board will continue to meet virtually until some amount of normalcy is returned.
Meanwhile, Mr. Greaves in his pitch to the board said he stand ready to work collectively in the best interest of all citizens to realize their dream of homeownership. While he stressed the need for expediency with the processing time for some services offered by the agency, he noted that emphasis will be placed on the quality of these very services.