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Leasing of state lands now computerised

Sep 18, 2013 News

 

In what is being described as a major improvement, Government has announced that it has computerized its land leasing systems to make it more efficient.
In announcing the Lease Approval Management System (LAMS), the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment said that it is one of three outputs that fall under the Development of Land Use Planning Project (DLUPP). The latter is funded by the European Union (EU) and is implemented by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC).
According to the Ministry, the project has been under development for the last 32 months, having commenced in January 2011. To be concluded next month, the process also includes land use planning, land administration, and institutional strengthening.
LAMS were developed by the DLUPP and focuses on management of state lands.
“The existing system of lease processing was seen as slow and inefficient, and generated numerous customer complaints, hence LAMS was developed to solve this problem.  It essentially computerises the existing system, to provide a seamless process from the first letter of interest through to printing of the lease.”
With large tracts of lands under state control, there have been continuous complaints about the system of applications being slow and faulty with openness for corruption.
“It is anticipated that this (LAMS) will greatly improve the speed and efficiency of lease processing, always with the caveat of externalities beyond system control,” the Ministry said.
The system was designed and conceptualised by Dr. Rajendran Senthil, and was programmed by Ray Sam and Guoyan Rampersaud and headed by Geoffrey King.
King noted that a survey made it clear that customers applying for land leases were dissatisfied with the existing system. “It is the first E-government system in Guyana and a state-of-the-art project.”
Agencies that stand to benefit from this project include the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), and the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, while lauding the project, urged for it to be further improved.
“I think this is certainly a positive development…through this project I hope we are able to provide a better service to the people of Guyana, and not only a better service, but a more efficient and fairer service and not a questionable one.”
Adding that it is the plan to widen the scope of GL&SC, the official said that it will become imperative for trained staff to manage the process.
He also warned that emphasis should be placed on the integrity of the system since it is an aspect that is frequently questioned. “I’m concerned about security and it must be ensured that there is restricted user access and traceability of access.”
He was also concerned about integration, creating a link between the GL&SC and the other organisations.
The Land Use Planning output focuses on preparation of a National Land Use Plan (NLUP) and three Regional Land Use Plans (RLUPs) for Regions 1, 2 and 10, the Ministry disclosed.
“This involved collecting all available data on Guyana’s resources and their use. It was highlighted that most map data needed reformatting to bring all information to a common format.”
There were stakeholder consultations in Georgetown and all other Regions for the NLUP, while more detailed consultations took place for the three regional plans.
Some thirty two GL&SC staffers have been trained to increase capacity in specific technical areas as part of the programme.

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