Residents of some sections of Vigilance North and South, East Coast Demerara, are set to receive their Certificates of Title as the government continues the regularisation process in the area. This initiative aims to provide residents with legal land ownership and is part of the government’s broader efforts to improve housing security across the country in areas where regularisation is possible.
On Monday afternoon, Minister of Housing and Water, Hon. Collin Croal, and Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Hon. Anil Nandlall, S.C., met with residents to provide updates on the process. They were joined by Mr. Gladwin Charles, Director of Community Development at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
The Vigilance North area, divided into several sections, has been home to residents for many years. In one section, known as the ‘Washington Area’ (Plan No. 38986), 168 lots have been created, while another section (Plan No. 49019) includes 27 lots. Minister Croal explained that the signing of Agreements of Sale and Certificates of Title has already commenced for these areas.
“We’re talking about 195 lots for which you can immediately sign your Agreement of Sale and process your Titles,” Minister Croal stated. He further stated that CH&PA staff will return next Wednesday to facilitate the signing process. A team will also be visiting later this week to map out the area.
Moreover, for another section of Vigilance North, the cadastral plan has been completed, but the CH&PA is awaiting ownership of the land before proceeding with title processing. Additionally, there is an area where a drainage reserve has been occupied by informal settlers; and an area behind the Vigilance Police Station, which had a Tenant’s Association registered as a Friendly Society. Attorney General Nandlall stated that further assessments will be done to determine the best path forward for these residents.
Minister Nandlall reiterated the government’s commitment to regularising all applicable areas and ensuring that Guyanese have the opportunity to obtain legal land ownership. He urged residents to cooperate fully, noting that ownership documents empower individuals to build personal and generational wealth.
In Vigilance South, Agreements of Sale and Title processing are also ongoing for Section 14A (Plan No. 27822), where 145 lots have been created. Additionally, CH&PA will conduct an inventory exercise and occupational survey in another section of Vigilance South over the next two weeks. This area, which is under the purview of GuySuCo and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, is currently occupied by 75 informal settlers. Once the land ownership issues are resolved, the Ministry will move forward with processing Agreements of Sale and Titles and residents can also move forward with the installation of utilities. The Housing Minister stated that the Ministry will work on delivering the ownership documents for residents in the area within the next three months.