| By Rabindra RooplallAccording to Housing Minister Irfaan Ali, a total investment of $340M has been made in Phase Two of the Recht-door-Zee, West Bank Demerara (WBD) Housing Scheme, and proof of the continued development of the community was evident yesterday when five hundred (500) house lots were made available, as the third one stop shop in Region Three, was held at Hugh Anderson Sports Complex, Goed Fortuin, WBD.Persons were given the opportunity to interact with officials from the New Building Society (NBS), Guyana Bank for Trade & Industry Ltd. (GBTI), National Hardware, Gafoors and other interested building and loan agencies.Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Emil Mc Garrell told the gathering that they were getting their chance to own a piece of Guyana, while agreement of sales and process of title would be made for the sale of the plot of land.Some of those in attendance at the one stop shopChief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Myrna Pitt, said the occasion was the 12th exercise by that entity to make home ownership a reality, and on this occasion, it would be for approximately 500 families.She said work is currently ongoing at Recht-door-Zee, phase two, where approximately 700 lots are being developed. Pitt explained that presently the area has been identified for the implementation of a pilot programme which is being implemented by the Government of Guyana and IDB second low income settlement programme that will see 200 lots being made available for nurses, policemen and teachers.Pitt further noted that the scheme has also been earmarked for the construction of “core homes” which is another pilot project being implemented under the second low income settlement programme.Pitt said the CH&PA wants houses to be constructed as quickly as possible, since the Ministry does not want to see land not being developed.“We want to see houses being constructed with the same urgency as which applications are being pursued. Houses on the lots are tangible evidence that the long hours of work, and efforts put into organization of these exercises, were worthwhile. We want to, at the end of the day, feel that we have satisfied the needs of our customers. We want to have the satisfaction of knowing that family life has been consolidated, children have been provided with a stable home environment and are on their way to becoming productive members of society, and the family unit as a whole can contribute in a meaningful way to nation building.”Underscoring that housing stimulates the national economic activity, Pitt said jobs are created; the construction industry expands which also has a ripple effect that can be felt, since owning a home is an investment in someone’s future along with their childrenAccording to Development Facilitation Officer, Orson Simon, when a house lots is given, a staffer from the Housing Ministry will show the applicant their plot. Firstly, the applicant should ensure that the demarcation that will identify their plot of land is not damaged in the process of building, while the land should be marked on a sign with the owner’s name so it can easily be identified if direction is lost.Adding that a building should not be erected without an approved plan, Simon said that the structure should be built according to the codes of building regulations which include the drainage, the number of doors,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, windows, the positions of bedrooms, septic tank, rear and entrance access for firemen, boundary limit from fence amongst other building-related issues.He explained that applicants should build their houses three feet from the ground, which will cater for possible flooding, while an applicant should select a proper draftsman who knows the building code regulations that are relevant for construction for an approved plan.“You have to make sure that the electrician is a certified guy, your contractor is also certified, the type of materials is the right one…recently it was reinforced that those persons in the government schemes who choose to mix cement on the road will be fined. The contractors have to cast a piece of concrete on your land so construction work can be done there and not on the road,” Simon stated emphatically.Housing Minister Irfaan Ali said the primary function of the CH&PA is to meet the housing requirements in a structured manner that will also bring a modern approach to home ownership and housing development.He disclosed that the Recht-door-Zee phase two scheme has approximately 740 lots of which 200 are set aside for nurses, police, teachers and persons in that professional category.Adding that a total investment of $340M has been made in the scheme, the Housing Minister said the maximum revenue that will be collected from the sale of lots would be in the vicinity of $74M with a difference of $286M which will be subsidized by the government.“I make this point specifically for those persons in the media who find joy in misleading and find joy in manipulating the facts and the truth to suit their own agenda.” Ali said. “For every single house hold there is a subsidy of about $400,000.” |
