Speaking at the opening of a two-day event organised by the Ministry of Housing and Water for new house lot applicants, President Irfaan Ali called on squatters to do the right thing to obtain land. He also added that squatter settlements were not sustainable.
“If you invest $5 million in a squatter settlement, there is no value since it cannot be used as collateral. If you invest it in a structured scheme, there is value and you can capitalise that for more than $5 million,” the President said.
The President said that the government will be focused on developing sustainable housing communities across the country especially in outlying and hinterland regions.
Speaking on the issue of squatters at Success who are being forced off of state lands, President Ali said the government wants them to own their own lands but they must go about getting those lands the right way.
“Let me say to my brothers and sisters in Success whom we have reached out to on many occasions, it is not that we want you to be dislodged in the area. We want you to own your own homes too.
“That is why we sent the housing teams so many times to see you but there is the right way of doing things and the wrong way and in Guyana, we have to get accustomed to doing things the right way. Otherwise we will be developing communities that are not sustainable.”
The two-day event which began on Friday saw thousands of persons gathered at the National Stadium to file applications for house lots and inquire about previous applications.
The Housing Ministry has said the event is primarily for first-time house lot applicants and persons who have to uplift their land titles after their names were recently published.
