By Subhana Shiwmangal
President Irfaan Ali led an outreach to Region Three, at the National Track and Field facility, Leonora, West Bank Demerara yesterday and housing was one of the major issues raised.
In attendance at the outreach were a variety of government agencies, including the Ministry of Housing and Water, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.
The outreach which runs from 8 am to 7 pm started yesterday and ends today. It follows one that was held in Region Six.
At the outreach, the president explained that the initiative’s purpose was to move the government system to an electronic form where technology is used to input the issues affecting people in the region, tracking the action taken to resolve them, and noting how many cases are being referred in order to improve efficiency, remove bureaucracy, and bring governance to the people.
“What you enter here, everything is downloaded, it’s an open case so every person is given a case file as they go to the agency. We can know how much an issue is being resolved, what is being referred, [and] what we are doing about it [action taken]. This system is a real-time system like what we had in Berbice… with this system now, you are able to assign with the different agencies and they will be able to check what the agencies are doing and how the matter is being resolved. So it requires a high level of intervention and you can extract that from the system. So it’s a very efficient system. A system that is allowing us to move rapidly… we have more than 600 files ongoing right now in different agencies. I think this is improving efficiency, removing bureaucracy and bringing governance to the people. Allowing the people to experience governance in their own environment”, he said.
The president added that the initiative creates a comfortable environment for the people when dealing with their matters and also in addressing structural problems they have that they are trying to change every single day. Ali explained, “That is why we are moving our government system more to an electronic form where technology is used like I just demonstrated, is what we had to get. Getting people to move with single documents instead of seeing some people with big files, now they are moving with their entire health record. It could get lost and everything, [so] when we have a patient management system, all of that can change. So I would say that for the next two days we expect to have large numbers.”
The president assured that the team will be available until 7 pm for both days in an effort to resolve as many issues as they could.
The president disclosed that the issues that require the greatest demand for action for all regions are NIS, housing, and local development. “The recurring issue in all the regions we were getting is in housing because of the massive programme we have. Everyone wants to be a part of the housing programme. We are having new applicants in the housing area because it’s a high demand area. Also, NIS issues are occupying a lot of space. We recognised that there were in excess of 6,000 NIS issues to be resolved that were there for years. We were able to resolve them. And, of course the local Govern-ment, the NDC issue and so on. This is where the bulk of issues is, all the agencies, but if you are looking for the area of the greatest type of demand, it is those areas.”
Stabroek News spoke to some residents to hear what they hoped to achieve out of the outreach.
Renting
Maria DeCosta, a 32-year-old mother of four who is renting an apartment in Region Three said, “I’m paying $30,000 a month for rent and it is very hard on me to pay that and support my family.” She explained that at this outreach she was not sure what documents she had to take along because she heard about the outreach via work. She was hoping she could either obtain a house lot or a turnkey house.
She said she was trying since 2018 to get through, “In 2019, 2018, when I tried to apply for either a house lot or home, I didn’t get through and last year when the government had an outreach in Diamond, I was living there. I was unsuccessful in applying for either one because I didn’t get the full requirements present at the time. When I moved to Region Three, I went in to [Ministry of] Housing at Vreed-en-Hoop and fill up the form so now I heard they are in Region Three from work and I rushed down here to see what process I have to go through to own my own house lot/home.”
Padmini Matabadal, a 27-year-old mother of two with another one on the way, said that she applied for a house lot in 2019 and 2021 but could not afford to pay the $400,000 on the house lot but yesterday within 15 minutes she was successful.
“I’m one step closer to owing my own house lot. I received $400,000 today to complete the extension of payments for my house lot I have been applying for since 2019 and 2021.” She added that it was hard to maintain her rent and was thankful for this initiative.
“Thank you very much, love this initiative the government is doing, bringing the office here, not only with housing but different different section of governments here. Instead of me going to Georgetown, right here in Leonora I got through.”
A mother of one, Savitrie Persaud, 30, of 11 B Stewartville, West Coast Demerara said, “Since 2019 I have been applying to housing for a house lot. Today I have an application for a house lot but I’m hoping to switch it for a turn-key home instead. I was told by the ministry here this morning that I can have that, once I return the house lot application, so I waiting in the line to have that done. I’m happy that they started this initiative today, it’s a good one. Thanks to everyone who had done the hard work and the government of Guyana.”
A mother of four, Shenesa Edmonds, a 31-year-old of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, said, “I’m hoping to get through with the turnkey home or a house lot. I have been here since 10 am and I’m in the line hoping to receive an application for either one of the two things because I have been renting an apartment for a while now and moving the children from school to school and to finally know that you will be owning a home or house lot to build on, it very good. I have been trying to apply for a while now and for the office to come here today in this area, this is a good initiative the government is doing for us. I’m very thankful.”
And Shazeeta Nazir, a 28-year-old resident said that she’s not sure what the requirements are to acquire a house lot but she was in the line to find out how it can be done. “ I already applied since 2021 for a house lot and I join the line today to see what requirement I have to get to get through with the house lot today.” She added “It’s a good initiative the government is doing because it’s easily accessible to me.”
Shenesa Edmonds
Savitrie Persaud
Padmini Matabadal
Persons from various ministries reaching out to residents
