Budget debate 2015…Affordable housing, squatter regulations high on Infrastructure Ministry agenda

With billions of dollars allocated to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure in the 2015 National Budget, affordable housing and stringent squatter regulations will be key areas of focus for the Ministry.

PPP MP Nigel Dharamlall

Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure, Keith Scott

The announcement was made by Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Keith Scott during his address at the first sitting of budget debates held Monday. Scott made his presentation during the final session. In his address, Scott emphasised the importance of having state-sponsored communities outfitted with educational and recreational facilities along with basic necessities such as electricity, proper water supplies and adequate roads. He went on to say that, with $1.9B allocated to the housing sector, this sector is expected to improve tremendously under the APNU+AFC coalition government. In fact, Scott shared that 4,000 homes are expected to be created by 2020 under the new government. However, Scott said that improvements will not come with exorbitant prices. Rather, he said, affordable housing will be a major consideration going forward. According to Scott, “all should be able to access” to not only access a home but do so affordably. He stressed that all persons, regardless of their socioeconomic position, must be considered. He said too that persons who will not want homes but will want lots will also be accounted for and will have plans made to fit their financial needs. Additionally, he said that projects that will be embarked upon will create at least 1,800 jobs in the construction sector and benefit over 11,000 families. “This is not about giving out lots at exorbitant prices. This is about making policies that provide housing at a much lower cost with the required infrastructure to make these communities sustainable,” Minister Scott emphasised. He said that, by developing sustainable communities, these areas will have facilities that can cater to everyone within it to make it wholesome and complete. He said too that community members will be involved meaningfully in developing their communities. Additionally, he said that the government will strengthen partnerships with non-governmental organisations such as Food for the Poor and Habitat for Humanity along with the business and banking sectors to build affordable homes. While he noted that the housing sector received a relatively small percentage of the total budget, he indicated that the ministry was nonetheless pleased and looked forward to higher allocations in the future. Scott also said that the water provided by Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) will come under review. He said that Guyanese have had to put up with substandard water supply from GWI for years. Therefore, he said, GWI’s matriculation system will be overhauled and $2.9B has been budgeted to improve the quality of water. He said too that issues plaguing GWI, such as obsolete pipes, needed to be immediately addressed to improve the quality of water received by consumers. Scott said that already engineers and technicians have embarked upon programme designs for the future. He added the vision for better communities went beyond the basic provision of house lots. “No longer will communities be set up without adequate infrastructure and better facilities to facilitate easy living,” Scott said. Meanwhile, the minister indicated that when it came to squatting, the new government would take up a “no tolerance” stance against it. He indicated that efforts will be made to clear squatters from several areas including East and West Ruimveldt. However, he said, these squatters will be presented with alternate options and will not simply be thrown out into the cold. “Squatters will be provided opportunities, through an increasing range of options,” he stressed. As part of the 2015 budget, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure received over $24B. The money allocated included $13B for the enhancing of the road and bridge networks throughout Guyana, $5.7B for drainage and irrigation development, $2.5B for increased coverage an improvement quality of water supply, $1.9B for the housing sector, and $1.6B for air and river transport. Furthermore, $542.7M has been allocated to fund a remodelled Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP). “It is ours” However, while the opposition did not hit out at the plans of the Public Infrastructure Ministry, it did strongly opine that the plans were those pioneered by the former administration. The position was raised by PPP Parliamentarian, Nigel Dharamlall, who also took the floor during Monday’s final session. In his remarks, Dharamlall said that from the 1970s right up until the mid-1990s, the infrastructure of Guyana “left much to be desired”. In fact, he said, if the PPP government were to be graded for its development and expansion of infrastructure in Guyana, it would receive top grades. He added that the PPP government would have been able to continue along this line if it had not been “unceremoniously” ousted from power “under dubious and suspicious circumstances.” He further said that through these circumstances the new government was “squatting” on the government side, but the situation would eventually be rectified. He stressed that the plans put forward by the APNU+AFC were devoid of initiative and actually represented the drive and effort of the PPP. “The 2015 budget is filled with interventions and activities that the PPP government created, implemented, executed and completed. As a matter of fact, the entire road network, hinterland community roads and highways spoken to and presented in the 2015 budget are success stories of the PPP,” Dharamlall said. He continued, “The Deepwater Harbour has been on our agenda for many years, so too has the East Coast Highway expansion, Sheriff-Mandela road upgrade, the Ogle to Diamond bypass, the Sophia “Ring Road”…these are all projects of the PPP. It is nauseating therefore to read such open and outlandish deceit propagated in the budget speech of 2015.” He further said that the contributions made by the new government in regards to infrastructure have not been significant so far and the budget was only a disservice to the people of Guyana. He added that the budget was a marketing gimmick with no true sense of integration of policies. “The only thing fresh in this budget is the vendetta issued upon our Guyanese people,” he said.