The Government of Guyana plans to end an over-50-years-long conflict for land in the Ann’s Grove, Clonbrook areas on the East Coast Demerara by awarding some 400 land titles or transports, and revoking the powers of several co-operative societies, along with other actions.
This announcement was made last week by Attorney General Anil Nandlall at a meeting with Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal, Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton, Commissioner of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission Enrique Monize and residents of the disputed areas.
“At the end of the planned course of action which we have decided to take, the citizens will get titles for the lands that they are occupying and we are speaking to nearly 400 families, who will eventually get titles out of this exercise,” Nandlall was quoted as saying.
The announcement came following an outreach just a week ago in Ann’s Grove, where residents from Two Friends/Clonbrook Doch Cab housing schemes on the East Coast Demerara, complained that land has been a major issue for them for decades. They pointed out that there appeared to be little movement to resolve the issue. As such, the three ministers decided to return to the area to deal with that matter.
It was explained that Guyana, like many other former colonies, still has land issues. This was due to the fact that land was bought, especially on the coastland, by freed slaves. Deemed ancestral land, some of the tracts were later taken over by co-op societies, which added complexity to the issue. Some of the land is reportedly under private ownership, an issue which the government plans to focus on in the coming months.
As time went by, those challenging ownership of property realised that stumbling blocks were in front of them.
These included documents that had to be produced to support their claims to ownership of land left to them by their antecedents who were freed slaves. In some cases, the land is being claimed by multiple people, and then there are issues dealing with co-op societies and the processes relating to titling.
As such, Nandlall said that the government will take action, which would include giving the land to former members of the co-op.
“The Doch Cab Co-op Society and the Ann’s Grove/Two Friends Co-op Society… those are the two societies that have been named as the co-op societies that had the historical control of these lands… and the co-ops have become defunct and non-functional,” Nandlall said. “So, we will just proceed to regularise and give the former members of the co-op the lands that they are occupying.
“If the co-op is not cooperating we will put the co-op aside and the government will proceed with the business of regularising the lands for the people who are occupying them. The co-op will not continue to hinder this process. In any event, the two co-ops are non-functional in law and are not exercising the powers of a co-op.”
On the other hand, the housing ministry is expected to investigate, to make boundaries through the occupation survey, and also match ownership to land, according to Croal.
“We already have a list from the Co-op Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the persons that they have listed, when they finish the occupation survey, we will be doing matching because we have to do that with the plan too,” Croal said. “So, you have to look at the plan where persons fall, look at what we came up with and look at what the IMC has listed. Once they correlate that, those listed are correlated across the board, immediately we will commence the process for ownership for them for their title or transport.”
As regards the private ownership disputes, Croal said he would bring in those parties to work out a course of action through the ministry.
Croal maintained that throughout the process, all historical records will be used and the process is expected to be over in months.
In the Doch Cab area, around 187 lots are set to be regularised, with those individuals expected to receive Certificates of Title, while 190 households in the Sertimer Scheme will be engaged.
