The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) yesterday issued a call for persons to desist from land grabbing and to submit applications for house lots instead.
According to a press release, CH&PA received reports that “persons began demarcating plots on May 15, 2015, one day before President David Granger would have been sworn in as President. And, over the weekend of May 16 and 17, 2015 the systematic land grabbing activities intensified.” Further, “persons in large groups have been demarcating vacant lands from Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara to Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice for the purpose of squatting under the pretext President Granger instructed same.”
The affected areas include Sophia, Mon Repos, Enmore, Haslington, Nabaclis, and Hope Experiment. CH&PA said many of the lands targeted by the “land grabbers” are government reserves, leased lands and plots demarcated for schools and playgrounds. One of the most sought after areas is the zone behind the Diamond Housing Scheme, but CH&PA said it had since placed “a sign board on the open space notifying the public that trespassers will be prosecuted.”
In its statement, the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change Government (APNU+AFC) “urged persons not to be misled into committing unlawful acts.” All Guyanese will be given “fair and equitable access to land under the Government’s land distribution policy.” Instead, it is “requesting persons to desist from squatting and have patience as Government implements its policy.”
CH&PA said its officers “will be closely monitoring” the areas to ensure persons do not unlawfully occupy the lands and more important, “squatting is an illegal act that would not be condoned by the Government of Guyana.”
