An overwhelming response on the first two days of the International Building Expo has led organisers to extend the event until tomorrow.
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal made the announcement yesterday and said admission for the extended two days will be free. The expo at the National Stadium, Providence will be open from midday to 10 pm on both days. The expo opened on Friday and was due to close yesterday.
“In fact we had anticipated 10,000-12,000 per evening. Last evening over 15,000 tickets were sold and hence the decision for the extension for the further two days. In fact, now at 3:30 pm (it) is close to 10,000 tickets have been sold and we anticipate another 15,000 or more persons visiting tonight,” Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Chief Executive Officer Sherwyn Greaves told Stabroek News yesterday.
Greaves also stated that they will be extending the “Dreams Realised” housing programme to today. During the expo, the Ministry is seeking to allocate some 5,000 house lots and over 1,000 titles.
The ‘Dream Realised’ land allocation exercise will continue today at the National Stadium from 8 am up to 11 pm, the CEO said.
He said that persons who are unable to attend the exercise will have the option of visiting their office to conduct their transactions.
On the first day of the exercise, Greaves told Stabroek News that they awarded 500 titles and over 1,500 house lots.
While speaking with Stabroek News yesterday just after 3.30 pm, he explained that they would have already awarded over 700 house lots.
On Saturday many persons complained of the slothful process and the lengthy waiting time to be tended to. However, this was not evident yesterday.
Bibi Hussain said that while she was told to arrive for 2 pm, she arrived earlier and the ministry employees were already at work. She stated that she found the process to be hassle free and the staff to be helpful.
Another man, while speaking with this newspaper, also echoed the same sentiments. In the midst of speaking with Stabroek News his name was called.
According to Greaves they had a system that was working. He stated that while some persons would have had to wait, staff were working to meet their needs.
House lots were allocated in the high, middle and low-income categories at Stewartville and Meten-Meer-Zorg on the West Coast Demerara.
Yesterday’s exercise saw applicants from Region Three receiving their allocations while on Saturday persons from Region 4 were tended too.
House lots were allocated at Plantation Great Dia-mond and Grove/Dia-mond, East Bank Deme-rara and Non-Pariel and Enterprise, East Coast Demerara.
Since taking office 24 months ago, the PPP/C-led government has been pushing to achieve its campaign mandate of delivering 50,000 house lots to Guya-nese during its five-year term in office.
Croal at the opening on Friday said the government would be channelling some $30 billion into the construction of 3,500 housing units in communities along the coast. In his breakdown, he said 1,500 units will be built at La Bonne Intention, 1,000 at Leonora and 1,000 at Wales. He said units would also be built at Silica City.
He noted that over 1,200 units are under construction across the country and 300 units have already been allocated to families. He further stated that to date they have allocated some 12,000 house lots in regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10.
He had also announced an investment of more than $100 billion over the next three years to develop the housing infrastructure.
A report from the Department of Public Information listed Kokerite Hill and Mabaruma in Region One; Onderneeming and Charity, Region Two; Anna Catherina, Edinburgh, Stewartville, Meten-Meer-Zorg, Leonora, Wales, Parfaite Harmonie, Tuschen and Wales, Region Three, and Diamond, Grove, Eccles, Herstelling, Covent Garden, Perseverance, Prospect, Little and Great Diamonds, La Reconnaissance, Non Pariel, Mon Repos, Cummings Lodge, Sophia, Enmore, Foulis, Success, Ogle, LBI, Hope Lowlands, and Hope Estate in Region Four as areas for development.
Areas in Region Five slated to benefit include Bath, Hope, Experiment, Balthyock, and Burma while in Region Six, Ordnance Fortlands, Kilcoy, Chesney, No. 75, No. 76, Hampshire, Williamsburg and Palmyra will benefit.
The Region Seven areas to benefit are: Five Miles, Four Miles and Three Miles, while Mahdia, Region 8, and Poke Bridge, Lethem, Culvert City and Tabatinga, Region Nine, are also on the list.
Amelia’s Ward, Phase 1B, Phase II, Phase III, Phase IV and Phase V, Wismar and Wisroc in Region 10 will also receive a portion of the $100 billion enhancement sum, the DPI report stated.
