Latest update February 6th, 2025 7:27 AM
CH&PA expended more than half $8.8 B budget by mid-2021- Ministry of Finance report
Kaieteur News – During the first half of 2021, Government spent $4.8 billion of the $8.8 billion budgeted for housing development.
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal.
According to the Ministry of Finance’s 2021 Mid-Year Report, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), via its Dream Realised Initiative, allocated 2,046 house lots in Regions 2, 3, 4, 6 and 10, and distributed 652 land titles in the first half of the year. It is expected that over 7,000 house lots will be allocated across Regions Two, Three, Four, Nine and Ten.
The report outlined that, of the $6 billion budgeted to advance infrastructure and utility works in new and existing areas, the sum of $3.4 billion was expended in the first half of 2021.
Under infrastructural expenditure, the CH&PA commenced works on the construction of roads, bridges, water distribution networks, drainage systems and the preparation of land in 19 housing areas across Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.
These areas include Onderneeming, Edinburg, Anna Catherina, Cornelia Ida, Meten-Meer-Zorg, Stewartville, Little and Great Diamond, Providence, Cummings Lodge, Prospect, Annandale, Mon Repos, La Bonne Intention, Vigilance, Bladen Hall, Strathspey, Experiment, Nos. 75 and 79 Villages, Ordnance Fort Lands, Williamsburg and Hampshire to benefit approximately 9,780 households.
Additionally, infrastructure works are ongoing under the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme for the construction of drains and sidewalks, and the upgrade of roads in the Sophia housing area to benefit over 1,000 households.
Similar works are also anticipated to commence in the second half of the year across the communities of La Parfaite Harmonie, Westminster, Onderneeming, Recht-Door-Zee and Lust-en-Rust to benefit more than 1,500 households.
Moreover, the report said that preliminary works are in progress for the extension of the programme boundaries to include La Bonne Intention housing areas, for the installation of LED street lamps and the upgrade of recreational facilities.
As it relates to home ownership, applications for core home support were approved for 97 persons, with construction expected to commence in the second half of 2021 in the La Parfaite Harmonie and Sophia housing areas.
The document also highlighted works, which commenced on the construction of 300 homes for low-income earners and young professionals in Region Four at Cummings Lodge and Prospect, with the preparation of lands to build 100 homes in Region Three at Edinburg, Anna Catherina, Cornelia Ida, Meten-Meer-Zorg, and Stewartville.
It was noted that the CH&PA is in the process of acquiring lands for the construction of 100 homes at Amelia’s Ward in Region 10. Further, the report said that the single window approval system for construction permits is expected to be completed in the second half of the year.
“There were also 100 successful applicants for home improvement subsidies in the first half of the year. It is anticipated that 100 households will benefit from core home support and 500 households will obtain home improvement subsidies to the value of $260.6 million by the end of the year, “the Finance Ministry report anticipated.
Additionally, the report noted that the Government has started reviewing proposals for housing development from 10 companies within the diaspora, and for remigrant homeownership.
Meanwhile, to address the issues of squatting and informal settlements, the document said that the CH&PA launched the Guyana Strategy for Informal Settlements Upgrading and Prevention Programme for sustainable housing.
“In the first half of 2021, regularised house lots were allocated to 100 persons in the communities of Cummings Lodge, Vryheid’s Lust South, Mon Repos, Edinburg, Golden Grove, Kaneville, Section ‘C’ Turkeyen and Anna Catherina.
According to the document, it is anticipated that regularised lots will be distributed to a minimum of 100 persons across the country in the second half of the year.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Land, taxes and penalties
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News-The American humorist Will Rogers once remarked that the best investment on earth is earth... more
OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus
Antiguan Barbudan Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The upcoming election... more
Weekend Cartoon
