Barticians rejoice after receiving house lots

Tracy Anne Persaud, a mother of two, is among some 500 families that received a house lot at the Five Miles Housing Scheme Extension and Block CHPA in Bartica, Region Seven.

She was emotional during the land allocation exercise at the Bartica Community Centre Ground on Friday. The event was spearheaded by the Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal.

The young mother said that achieving homeownership has always been one of her lifelong dreams, as it now allows her to provide a stable and safe home for her children.

“I feel very happy about it since I’ve waited such a long time. It means more than I can explain. It is something that I’ve never had,” she said.

Similarly, Mohamed Ishak, who applied for the land in 2022, is now able to provide a better future for his children.

“I’m feeling elated because this is a dream come true. It’s an unexplainable feeling. You can now be in your own space, come and go as you want. There is no one to tell you when to come and go… It was worth the wait,” he added.

After applying for a house lot for several years, Tracey Benjamin is now on her way to providing a home for her sons.

“I feel very happy to be here to select my house lot. I have three sons, and I am glad that I will be able to leave them with something when I’m gone,” Benjamin stated.

Anique Misir was also pleased to finally obtain a house lot that will benefit her children in the long term.

“I applied for the land 10 years ago. I’m very pleased about it. I am happy that I was able to obtain my lot today,” Misir said.

During the housing outreach, over 30 land titles were earmarked for distribution.

Minister Croal noted that the government has established three housing areas in Region Seven—Five Miles, Five Miles Extension, and Block CHPA.

The first phase of infrastructure work has been completed at Five Miles, while work will soon commence at the Five Miles Extension.

Over $2.5 billion has been spent to develop these three areas. Another $1.1 billion will go towards the development of Plantation Bartica (Tract Bar), providing access to the area.

The housing areas are heavily subsidised by the government to ensure that allottees have access to their lots and can begin construction on their homes.

Region Seven currently has about 900 pending applicants.

“Another 128 lots are coming on stream at Mora Camp. That is being done under the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission,” Minister Croal stated.

Since the PPP/C government took office in 2020, a total of 41,849 house lots have been allocated to Guyanese. (DPI)