Latest update December 8th, 2024 4:55 AM
Jan 08, 2010 News
By Sharmain Cornette
Field audits will be the continued approach utilised by the Ministry of Housing and Water this year, as the drive to put an end to the illegal acquisition of house-lots is intensified.
According to Minister with responsibility for the Housing Sector, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, his Ministry is designed to ensure that every person who is eligible for a house-lot is entitled to a single house-lot once they go through the required process.
Through field audits, the Minister said that it has been observed that there are some persons who have been attempting to profiteer by bypassing the legitimate system of application and eventual allocation.
“Some of them have their house-lots but they send their children to squat as a means of shortening their time span to legally obtain another house-lot while someone who is sacrificing and going through the legal channel will wait a longer time.”
The Minister asserted during an interview with this newspaper that “squatting will not and cannot be considered a shortcut towards obtaining a house-lot.”
The majority of persons who opt to sell their house-lots are in fact breaching the regulations detailed on the transport or title of the land. Ali disclosed that a land transport has a clause that states that any house-lot allocated by the Central Housing and Planning Authority cannot be sold for a period of 10 years or even after 10 years without the approval of the Housing Ministry.
Last year, he disclosed, the Ministry had commenced the field audit strategy and had found a number of cases which have since been appropriately addressed.
“A number of persons were brought in having been found to be involved in illegal transactions and we are dealing with that on a case-by-case basis.”
Ali conceded that regardless of the strength of any system, if an individual is bent on breaching the system, such occurrences are more than likely to persist.
“They would do everything possible to beat the system because that is their aim.
So we have to constantly guard against those sharks who want to breach or profiteer from the system,” the Minister noted.
And since it has been recognised that a number of squatters have been involved in the act of illegally disposing of their appointed house-lots, Ali said that the Ministry will be looking to the courts for redress.
Taking legal action, he said, is essential as there is a need to send a strong message to those who are currently engaged in the illegal act of squatting or are contemplating such action.
“In addition to education we need to have a strong, cohesive, concerted message sent out, and here is where we require the full integration of the media.”
According to the Minister, the media have not only seen but reported on disasters, health and environmental related that have been created as a result of squatting activities.
Thus it is imperative he noted that people understand the dangers of squatting so that the problem could be curtailed through a joint effort.
The need to have persons cease the practice of squatting, particularly close to the country’s sea defence, was underscored recently by the Minister when he addressed the issue at Sea View, Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara.
Springtide occurrences during the period January 1- 5 resulted in flooding which disrupted the illegal squatting settlement which had accommodated about 33 families.
Those squatters have since been ordered to remove from that location, a request they see as a major inconvenience.
Nonetheless, Minister Ali is optimistic that the squatters have recognised the dangers of their action.
“I think they have seen the seriousness of the situation and the vulnerability they are exposed to in terms of changes in tidal conditions.
With those extremely high tides that we have experienced, they themselves are beginning to understand that moving is in the best interest of themselves and family,” Ali asserted.
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