Ten families squatting on lands at the Zeelugt Sideline Dam in Region Three have been allotted house lots in the new Stewartville Housing Scheme.
The allocations were done at the scheme yesterday by a team from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) including Director of Community Development, Gladwin Charles, Regional Housing Officer, O’shanna Miggins and other technical staff.
The allocations are in keeping with a commitment made by the Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal during an outreach earlier in the month, a release yesterday from the CHPA said. The Minister at the time assured residents that the agency is working to fast-track relocation and regularization in informal settlements across the region. During yesterday’s exercise, Charles noted that the area occupied by the squatters is near the community’s primary school and as such poses a number of issues.
For husband and father of two, Amos Calistro the land provides a better environment to nurture his two young children. Calistro said, “it make me proud because me daughter them living in squatting area and the place nasty”. He also noted that the squatting area is a risk to their health.
“I’m happy for the piece of land that we get, at least we gon make much of it,” Ishwar Saytoo told the CHPA. The family is now looking forward to constructing their home in Stewartville.
Single father, Roopnauth Jaggernauth also noted his satisfaction with the agency’s intervention.
The CHPA release said that the housing scheme is already equipped with first-phase infrastructure and utilities such as roads, drainage networks and water. After selecting their house lots, the squatters were issued with their allocation letters and guided by CHPA’s Surveys Unit on a lot identification exercise.
