The government will soon be allocating house lots to some 37 low-income families in Balthyock Housing Scheme, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), through the Ministry of Housing and Water’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
According to a CH&PA release that was issued yesterday, the announcement was made by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, as she met with the residents during an outreach on Friday.
The release explained that the scheme, which is located aback the Blairmont Sugar Estate, was developed with the intention of relocating informal settlers from the sea defence reserve under the agency’s relocation and regularisation programme. Some 45 households were in occupation of the area and a portion of the block. In 2012, seven (7) households were relocated from the reserve and the households within the block were regularised. However, another portion of the area comprising of 37 lots was not allocated due to the incompletion of infrastructure works.
Further, during an outreach in Blairmont in May, the Minister was made aware of the situation by residents and committed to the resumption of the project. CH&PA then commenced an inventory of the area to restart the programme.
“There are about fifteen households who are informal settlers or what we know as squatters, still residing on the reserve who will be relocated here in the scheme,” she informed.
Rodrigues noted that this will significantly improve the lives of the informal settlers, as they will now have reliable access to potable water, electricity and other amenities, as well as, Certificates of Title/Transports for the first time.
And with regard to the allocation of the remaining 22 lots, she added, “Priority will be given to residents in the area, who have existing applications in our system to be allocated.”
A $20 million contract has been awarded to Shereaz Bacchus General Contractors for the execution of the project, which will include land clearing and basic infrastructure works. These works will begin immediately and within two weeks the Minister will revisit the region to allocate the house lots to the residents.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Andre Ally, who accompanied the Minister, in his remarks noted that Region Five, in general, is in-line for major housing and water development, with the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars. He highlighted a $456 million housing project in Experiment, West Coast Berbice, which will see land and drainage clearing and construction of access roads and bridges to allow allottees to begin occupation. The Ministry is also undertaking projects in Number 79, Number 75 and several other areas in the region.
Minister Rodrigues was accompanied by Member of Parliament, Faizal Jaferally; CH&PA Director of Community Development, Gladwin Charles; Supervi-sor of Works, Mohamed Khan; and other regional and technical personnel. She was also able to deliver on a promise in Goed Faith, where 20 households are now accessing potable water for the first time, following her outreach in May, 2021, the release added.
