Persons in the Walton Hall/Paradise communities in Region Two breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday morning when they were told they would be finally able to process transports for their lands which were under the co-operatives for decades.
Prior to this, they were unable to undertake any investments on their lands due to the lack of documentation.
On Saturday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, along with Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, led a delegation to address the age-old issue of land transports, particularly at the Walton Hall/Jibb communities. These communities fall within the township of Anna Regina.
Speaking to occupants of the lands, Nandlall told them that the government had listened to their concerns and would be immediately addressing those issues. He informed that the process will be facilitated by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission as well as the Public Trustee Office, which falls under the Attorney General’s Chambers.
“These are constant engagements that our government has embarked on to ensure we stay in contact with you. The issue we are dealing with is problematic, but we will persevere until we bring it to an end” Nandlall said.
At the Paradise location, he told residents that a similar process will be used to resolve land ownership issues. The land falls under the Office of the Public Trustee.
“The problem we have is the distance. We are in Georgetown and you are here and the report I am seeing is that you are not attending frequently. [Therefore] I am coming here and bringing my staff so when you are in Georgetown you have to come to sign the agreements”, he urged.
The Attorney General also advised them to ensure that the lands go “jointly” or “equally” so that they can leave the inheritance to others. He cautioned that when the transport is done, it should be done in the right way since it is an expensive process.
“The objective is to give you transport for the lands which you occupy so you will have to show the surveyor where your boundaries are,” he further informed.
Nandlall also made it clear that lands which belonged to the community such as recreational spaces and burial grounds will not be surveyed since they belong to the government.
The Minister told residents what can be addressed by his ministry will be and the other land issues at Jibb will be dealt with by the Ministry of Housing and Water/Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
Croal assured that lands that fall under the CH&PA will be processed at a minimal cost to homeowners and everything will be put into place to ensure that families are comfortable.
A large portion of the lands, particularly at the Paradise and Jibb, were left in the care of the Public Trustee by the AP Singh estate since his death several decades ago.
One resident, Sheena Jailall, expressed her relief that the land matter was finally being resolved. “We raised these issues with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and he promised he will get it to fix. I am glad that it was done promptly, you see we really can’t do anything if we don’t get we papers and we living long on these lands.”
Attending the meetings were representatives of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Office of the Public Trustee, Central Housing and Planning Authority, along with Regional Vice Chairman, Humace Odit, and Prime Ministerial representative, Arnold Adams.
