More than 50 residents of Mabaruma, Region One, are set to receive residential house lot allocations at the newly established housing scheme, Tract ‘A’ Mabaruma. The beneficiaries have gathered at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) compound for a housing drive hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Water – Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
Leading the exercise are Minister of Housing and Water, Hon. Collin Croal, and CH&PA’s Director of Operations, Mrs. Denise King-Tudor, alongside a support team from various CH&PA departments.
Also in attendance are key regional leaders, including Regional Chairman, Mr. Brentnol Ashle; Vice-Chairperson, Ms. Annansha Peters; Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Sewchand; Deputy REO, Mr. Shem Cuffy; and His Worship Trevi Leung, Mayor of Mabaruma.
Father of one, Lensil Robinson was among house lot beneficiaries. He stated that he has been living with family his entire life and now plans to build his dream home.
Robinson shared, “I am happy because you get a chance to own something for yourself and if you got children they can inherit it”.
Gena Wells, who also lives with her family said that she has been waiting eight years to own her own house lot. Now that she has been allocated the mother of two said that she is excited to become homeowner and provide better shelter for her children.
“Owning my own land means I can actually have my kids looking forward to something in the future,” said Melrose Pritchard who was also allocated her house lot. She stated that the allocation process was very smooth and commended the government for the initiative.
Minister Croal described the initiative as part of the administration’s broader goal to bridge development gaps between hinterland and coastal communities. He noted that the Ministry’s mandate is to address house lot applications as quickly as possible through the provision of developed schemes.
The new scheme in Mabaruma adds to the more than 90 new housing areas developed and the approximately 48,000 house lots allocated across Guyana since 2020 under the leadership of President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
“We are working nonstop to ensure that we bring betterment to our people,” Minister Croal added.
He also announced that allottees will be able to begin accessing their lands by the end of this year, with land clearing already underway. In further good news for the region, the Minister revealed that Region One will benefit from the services of a dedicated regional housing officer and a new CH&PA regional office to enhance service delivery.
Addressing the challenges of land access in Mabaruma, the Minister noted that much of the land suitable for development falls under private estates and the jurisdiction of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC). Despite these hurdles, the government has continued to push forward, with this being the second housing scheme developed in Mabaruma —the first being at Kokerital Hill, established under a previous PPP/C administration.
Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley expressed his satisfaction at seeing residents of Region One benefitting from national housing programmes.
“Our President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and his government are working tirelessly to bridge the gap between the coastland and the hinterland in providing the same levels of opportunities,” he stated.
In addition to land allocations, residents will also benefit from services provided by CH&PA’s Conveyance Unit, Legal Unit, Planning and Settlement Development Department, and Community Development Department.
The Ministry will soon take this housing outreach to Port Kaituma in the Matarkai sub-region, where applicants will be allocated at a new scheme.