Major delays found on East Bank housing projects…Private developers face stiff penalties

Government has expressed its unhappiness with the slow pace of work by private housing developers on East Bank Demerara. It is now warning that it will take action. Yesterday, during an inspection of the housing schemes there, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Keith Scott, announced that he has summoned senior principals including some from Sunset Lakes Inc. and Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited to update him. Along Mocha Road, Courtney Benn has reportedly acquired 50 acres of land behind New Providence. The gates were locked and it appears that not much work was being done. The land was allocated around 2011. Further north, behind Princess Hotel and Casino, Dax Contracting Services also has a plot of land. Owner, Faisal ‘Dax’ Mohamed, has been selling plots of it. Only one house has been built. He said he will be working with his house lot owners to speed up construction. The Minister, accompanied by his team of engineers and technical staff members, was concerned that lands were being sold without homes being built, which was tantamount to speculations.

Minister Keith Scott and other housing officials meeting the Chinese officials of Sunset Lakes.

Dax will be monitored to ensure that it is adhering to the agreement it signed with the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA). At Sunset Lakes Inc., a 100-acre plot sold by Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) to businessman, Brian Tiwarie, and located behind the National Stadium, housing officials found a desolate area. The scaffolds on buildings had no signs of activities. A Chinese official who spoke English and who was in the gated area drove off and returned a short while later with four others. They could not speak English. They were from Baishanlin. Scott requested that the principals and Mr. Tiwarie meet with him tomorrow afternoon to update him. This particular transaction has been testing CH&PA and the new Government as Sunset Lakes was reportedly sold en-bloc to the Chinese-owned logging company, Baishanlin. Sunset Lakes (Tiwarie) reportedly bought the 100 acres for $458M and reportedly resold it for over $800M to Baishanlin, a logging company. According to the Sunset Lakes agreement of sale and purchase, the purchaser (Sunset Lakes) must complete all infrastructural works within eight months of taking possession in 2011. He had also two years to complete the construction of all houses in the proposed housing scheme and to have 100 percent occupancy. Failure by Sunset Lakes to construct homes within 24 months could see CH&PA fining the developer up to 25 percent of the current market value of the vacant parcel of land. There have been criticisms how the more-than 400 acres of land stretching from behind Republic Park to Little Diamond had ended up mainly in the hands of close friends of the previous administration. At least 16 private developers benefited from as early as 2011. Still another 11companies, as of July last year, were set to receive lands from CH&PA for areas in Little Diamond and Great Diamond. One company, Luxury Reality Inc., which has lands in Providence, has listed as its Director/Secretary, Roopnarine Ramcharitar, a right hand man for Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop. Ramroop is the owner of New GPC, a company that was investigated by the Opposition for a number of questionable deals. He is the best friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo. Hi Tech Construction Inc. is another Chinese company involved.  Hi Tech has Su Zhi Rong listed as its Director while the Secretaries are Zhang Ling Ling and Ming Chen. The other companies that were allocated lands between Eccles and Mocha were Queensway Dax Contracting Service, Nabi Construction Incorporated, Buddy’s Housing Development, Cumberland Developers Inc., Vikab Engineering Consultants, Kishan Bacchus Construction, Caricom General Insurance, Navigant Builders and Windsor Gardens. Queensway has been allowed several acres in Golden Grove. As of July last year, those that had applications at CH&PA for lands were Buddy Housing Development, Queensville Housing Development, A&R Jiwanram Printery, Raydan Housing Enterprise, Lakeview Executive Homes, Gentle P. Elias and Brian Chase, Chung’s Global Enterprise, Prembury Consultants T&T Limited and Romell Jagroop Construction. The Chinese owned Hi Tech Construction has also applied for lands in the Little Diamond/Great Diamond area.