Middle income, low middle income and low income house lots were distributed to 500 applicants last Friday at a One Stop Shop at the Uitvlugt Community Centre, Region Three.
The applicants and family members flocked the centre to have their applications processed for house lots at Zeelugt, West Coast Demerara, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
According to GINA, housing is a major sector of Region Three and over the past decade more than $23B has been invested in this sector, creating more than 23,000 lots and benefiting over 94,000 Guyanese.
Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali, addressing the gathering, indicated that about 2,600 new lots would be available in Region Three this year, while 1,000 more lots are to be available at Zeelugt and 200 at Leonora, among other areas.
Within the next five years, Ali said another 500 house lots in the existing Zeelugt scheme will be allocated to cater for the demand in the region.
“If one is to look at the investment at Zeelugt, we would have invested more than $460M. It would bring benefit to almost 3,500 persons directly and of course if you look at the average cost per household or house lot, we are talking about $650,000,” Ali is quoted as telling the applicants.
Government has already advanced $60M to the Guyana Power and Light to commence work on the electricity network in Zeelugt.
Ali said further, “In order to accelerate the access to the lots and to ensure that you can start preparing yourself for the construction of your homes we have started infrastructure work which is already 70% completed ….”
Ali reminded the gathering of President Bharrat Jagdeo’s recent announcement that plans are in the pipeline to construct a four-lane road, extending from the Demerara Harbour Bridge to Parika, East Bank Essequibo.
Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Myrna Pitt said that the CH&PA continues to consolidate and pursue partnerships with stakeholders in the building and construction sector to ensure that the housing delivery process is efficient.
Meanwhile, Region Three Chairman Julius Faerber informed residents of other aspects of progress taking place in the region inclusive of better road access, new schools, health centre and recreational facilities.
He also urged residents to occupy their lots in a timely manner and to make good use of the facility being provided by the government in their respective schemes.
The One Stop Shop event last Friday is the eighth hosted by the ministry for this year and complements in excess of 50 percent of the ministry’s target for 2011.
In 2009, there were 12 One Stop Shop exercises in regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10; while in 2010, there were 15 such interventions carried out in regions 2, 3, 4, 6, 8.
