After several decades of occupation, over seventy families on Thursday received transports for lands that they and their foreparents have lived on without title at Walton Hall, Essequibo Coast.
The lands of Walton Hall village was owned by a co-operative society that has become defunct for years and over 250 families who are in occupation of house lots in the village did so with the permission of the co-op. Similarly, they occupy hundreds of acres of cultivation plots in the backlands of the village as lessees of the co-op.
Some years ago, the Government of Guyana, through the Attorney General’s Chambers & Ministry of Legal Affairs, began the process of regularising the village, that is, to process transports to the persons who are in occupation of the lands in the village. The Government of Guyana bears the expenses for the entire exercise. The Deeds and Commercial Registry and the Office of the Public Trustee also plays a significant role in the regularisation process.
The process is continuing and approximately 180 transports are currently being processed for the remaining villagers. The Attorney General’s Chambers & Ministry of Legal Affairs is conducting similar exercises in Regions Four, Five and Six.
At a simple handing over ceremony, Attorney General Anil Nandlall outlined the history and nature of the process and thanked the villagers for their patience. He also explained to them the value of the transports that they received.
Also in attendance were Ms. Nandranie Coonjah, Member of Parliament, Ms. Vilma De Silva, Regional Chair of Region Two, Mr. Humace Oodit, Regional Vice-Chair of Region Two, Mr. Madanlall Ramraj, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Ms. Azeena Baksh, Registrar of Deeds, among others.
