Latest update January 18th, 2025 7:00 AM
APNU’s attack on house lot allocations deceitful- Luncheon
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, has deemed the recently concluded “One Stop Shop” exercise held last month at the National Stadium, Providence, as a major success under the PPP/C administration.
The official, during the government’s weekly post-Cabinet press briefing on Saturday, was at the time responding to the question on the house lot allocation system. The issue is whether the system needs to be reviewed as suggested by the leading opposition party, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
Scores of potential house lot owners during the government’s “One Stop Shop” exercise last month.
“If this is not another success, then I don’t know what success is, as defined in terms of a national strategy.”
He described the comments made by APNU as another deceitful move to create havoc in the minds of Guyanese that there is probably something “fishy” about the house lot allocation system.
On July 5, last, during APNU’s weekly press briefing, Shadow Minister of Public Works, Joseph Harmon, said that the various APNU’s offices countrywide had received numerous complaints about the current house lot allocation process. Severe problems were manifested following the June 14, event at the stadium. All told there were about 2,000 people.
About 30 would-be house lot owners, who were a part of the exercise, complained that they were issued with allocation letters to go to the stadium to pay half of the sum on their lots, and were there from as early as 06:00hrs.
They were issued with numbers and told to wait. As at 18:00 hrs, some twelve hours later, despite evidence of over 2,000 waiting, only 400 house lots were allocated.
The APNU official pointed out that it came as a shock for many persons allocated house lots for $300,000, when they were told later that evening by housing officials that they had an option of paying $900,000 or $1.2M to acquire a plot of land or lose the opportunity altogether.
According to Harmon, this resulted in the hopes of many Guyanese being dashed.
The official said that APNU was firmly of the position that the entire house lot allocation process should be subjected to an urgent and independent inquiry so as to restore the credibility of the Housing Ministry in the eyes of the Guyanese citizens, especially in the eyes of the poor people who are trying to acquire house lots.
Harmon said one of the suggestions being tabled by the opposition is that after the interviews are conducted and before issuing persons with allocation letters, the Ministry should ensure that the house lots are available within the specified price ranges.
Once this is made clear, then it reduces the possibility of persons from the Housing Ministry asking for “compensation” outside the price of the house lots.
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