-Housing and Water Minister

In accordance with the  Lethem Development Plan, areas for industrial, commercial, residential and small business development have already been set aside.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Housing and Water is tackling the regularization of housing areas in Tabatinga and Culvert City and allocating residential houselots in Lethem.

Over 220 house lots in residential and commercial areas will be granted and roads, drains, other structures and pure water distribution networks will be established in Tabatinga to benefit over 2,000 people at a cost of $220M, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

This area will be developed under the Second Low Income Settlement Programme (LIS) which is being implemented by the government with assistance from the Inter-American Development Bank.

Minister Irfaan Ali has said that during this year approximately $445M will be spent by the ministry to upgrade the housing and water sectors in Region Nine.

During an interview with media operatives at his office on Brickdam last Thursday Ali noted that the Lethem Development Plan is multifaceted since it involves a number of stakeholders, including the Ministries of Tourism, Housing and Water, Agriculture and the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) and the private sector.

The Lethem Development Plan which is a land use policy-based plan sets out general guidelines for dealing with substantive planning issues, including residential and commercial development, open spaces, transportation, tourism, industrial development and urban design, GINA said.

On July 23, President Bharrat Jagdeo met with several business persons from Lethem to commence the distribution of 17 plots of land within the designated Lethem commercial district.
The project which consists of a total of 65 lots is a $1B investment that is expected to create 550 jobs, GINA added.

The sum of $41M was also allocated as a capital grant in the 2009 National Budget to the Lethem Power Company so that additional generators and transformers could be installed to boost electricity supply.