Eccles to Providence hijacked by private developers

Dec 25, 2013 News

– unhappy Opposition not satisfied with Housing Ministry’s explanations

“We are seeing a trend that whenever an asset of this country is being sold or passed over to a close friend or a relative, they always hide it away where nobody can see.”- Ramjattan

A Parliamentary party has expressed alarm after revelations that hundreds of acres of land in central areas on the East Bank of Demerara have been distributed to a number of private developers in what appears to be very unclear circumstances.
According to the Alliance For Change (AFC), one of the two Opposition factions in the National Assembly, it will be demanding some more answers for the land allocation to mainly close friends and relatives of the ruling party.

Khemraj Ramjattan

“We have in our possession a leaked document that maps out lands that were earmarked for housing in the areas between Eccles to Herstelling on the East Bank of Demerara. What it is telling us, if it is true, is that front lands have been distributed to mainly companies. It is also telling us that Guyanese who badly wanted a piece of land for housing, have been pushed further into the backlands,” an angry AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, disclosed.
A Housing Ministry official has confirmed that the leaked map is indeed a reflection of what has been allocated.
This is not the first time that questions have been raised over the allocation of land in that area. Earlier this year, an allocation to Windsor Estates behind Republic Park had prompted the Housing Ministry to disclose that 14 private developers have applied for lands this year. AFC said it had been studying the Ministry’s “attempt to answer the questions in October” and it just does not make any sense.
According to Ramjattan, the allocations of the front lots speak volumes.
“There are several questions here. We have a large piece of land that was purchased from GuySuCo for housing. The entire front section, that was available, and we’re talking over 400 acres, have been given out, but not to the ordinary man? How much was paid for these lands by the developers? Where was it advertised? What criteria were used to grant these lands to these companies and individuals? More importantly, why was it not available for normal house lots? Now we are dealing with land shortages.”

Housing Minister,
Irfaan Ali

According to the Member of Parliament, what is even more insulting to Guyanese who badly want a house lot is the fact that it appears a decision was taken to give out the front lands and whatever was left, to the poor applicants.
“These are like scraps of meat, a slap in the face for Guyanese. You will recall that after giving out all these lands… and again we don’t know at what price… President Donald Ramotar and Minister of Housing, Irfaan Ali, announced this year that they wanted more lands, so they are opening 1,000 more lots behind here. You tell me…where is the love and respect for hardworking Guyanese in all this? This is same kind of transparency we’re talking about on the other projects.”
Ramjattan said that he is fully aware and prepared for excuses by the Housing Minister that the lands were advertised in the Guyana Chronicle from June.
“Explain to us then how some of these developers have been on the lands…some doing infrastructure works from more than a year now? Further, for something like this, should it not be advertised so that all Guyanese can see it? We are seeing a trend that whenever an asset of this country is being sold or passed over to a close friend or relative, they always hide it away where nobody can see…So much for the transparency that this Government has been talking about.”
According to the leaked document, the lands in question lie behind the Eccles Industrial Site and stretch behind Republic Park and Nandy Park to Mocha Road.
“Now they say that they don’t have any more lands on the East Bank and want to open new ones along the

President
Donald Ramotar

Soesdyke/Linden highway. We have another set of land, just over 318 acres, that has been allocated for remigrant schemes in this same Providence/Eccles area? How much has been taken up? How do we know these are not ending up in the hands of some of the cronies of this administration?”
According to the leaked map, 1,000 house lots (roughly 250 acres) have been made available at Eccles for house lots and just over 400 acres behind Providence for more.
“We are not clear if this map is telling us that the new 1,000 house lots behind Providence are part of this 400 acres. We also are not sure what is happening to lands between Herstelling and Diamond. Were these given out also? We don’t know. We are sending this map to the Minister along with a number of questions for answers. What we do know that is the poor people have been virtually pushed into the backdam.”
Among some of the private developers are Caricom Insurance; Kishan Bacchus; Citiwide; Sunway; Courtney Benn; Buddy’s; Duraville; Vikab; Nabi and Sons; B.K. International; Dax and a company linked to Odinga Lumumba, a Presidential Advisor.
In October, Housing Minister Irfaan Ali had disclosed that around 400 acres have been granted to private developers. The Opposition had signaled since then its intentions to table questions in the National Assembly, the country’s highest law-making forum. The Opposition had wanted to know which private developers have been allocated lands; the amount paid; when it was paid and whether the process was advertised.
The private developers that had submitted proposals, according to the Housing Ministry, were Windsor Tech. Inc, Navigant Builders Inc., Queensville Housing Development, A and R Jiwanram Printery Inc., Buddy’s Housing Development, Ray Dan Housing Enterprise, DC Construction/Comfort Sleep, Caricom General Insurance Inc., Romell Jagroop General Construction Services, Lakeville Executive Homes Inc., Mr. Gentle P Elias & Mr. Brian Chase, Chung’s Global Enterprise, Hi Tech Construction Inc., and Prembury Consultants T&T Ltd.
It is this particular disclosure that has raised the eyebrows of the AFC and APNU.
“How are we advertising in June for proposals when several of these developers have been operating on lands for over a year now? Some of these firms have been selling lands and homes to people already. There seems to be something secret about this.”
“We are not asking the Minister for new proposals that have been submitted. We are asking clearly for details of the lands already allocated to private developers.”
Meanwhile, Kaieteur News has been able to confirm that lands further along the East Bank of Demerara have also been allocated, also under unclear circumstances. Some 400 acres in the Coverden area have been granted to a businessman close to the administration.