Housing issues at Zeelugt, EBE sees teaming up of Attorney General and Housing and Water Ministers

On Friday, a team led by Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Mohabir Anil Nandlall,
SC and Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal, officials from their respective Ministries and
officers from the Sugar Welfare Fund (SILWIF) met with residents of Zeelugt, East Bank
Essequibo, Region 3.
The purpose of the meeting was to commence a process that will eventually result in the grant of
Certificate of Titles to approximately eighty-seven (87) households in that community. These
persons were either employees of GuySuCo or their descendants who had been allotted house
lots as far back as 1997. Unfortunately, titles for these lands were never granted to the allottees,
although the block title was passed from GuySuCo to SILWIF. An occupational survey plan has
already been completed and the processing the titles to individual allottees will now begin.
The Attorney General promised that the process will be completed within three months.

Nandlall also hailed the comprehensive nature of the government’s housing programme and
described it as perhaps the best in the Caribbean. ‘‘It embraces several components, including
allocation of house lots, allocation of houses, partnerships with the private sector in the
establishment of housing schemes, regularization of squatter settlements, as well as, addressing
anomalous situations where for some technical reason persons have not received Titles for lands
they have been occupying for protracted periods. The current exercise falls into the latter
category,’’ the Legal Affairs Minister said.
Nandlall noted that President Irfaan Ali has given him a special mandate to work in collaboration
with other government agencies to address these technical legal deficiencies, which frustrate the
process of persons receiving Titles to land to which they are entitled. He pointed out that a
similar process was recently concluded which saw Certificates of Title being granted to over fifty
(50) families at Non Pariel, East Coast Demerara. Similar processes are currently ongoing at
Number. 46 village Corentyne, Cotton Tree and Number. 3 village, West Coast Berbice.
Minister Croal used the occasion to update the residents on the activities of his Ministry in
Region 3, specifically in the drilling of a new well at Parika. He said that this will improve water
supply on the East Bank of Essequibo, including Zeelugt. The Minister also addressed a number
of other issues raised by the residents in relation to the Housing and Water sectors.
Parliamentary Secretary Mr. Vikash Ramkissoon, Regional Chairman, Region 3, Mr. Inshan
Ayube and the Neighborhood Democratic Council Chairman of the locality were all in
attendance.