Land title issue

REFERENCE made to an article in last Thursday’s The National attributed to the Housing Minister that about 300 land titles are in the process of being taken back for allegedly being obtained illegally.
Firstly, the minister and his current management are commended for taking stock of the numerous past ill-conceived political and bureaucratic decisions, one such remnant of which is now unfortunately being thrown at them.
It is no wonder that the so-called business arm of the National Housing Corporation, National Housing Estates Ltd (NHEL), has now been declared bankrupt and deregistered from Investment Promotion Authority books.
One has to question why and how were these titles issued or given away to these groups or individuals in the first place.
Were the titles fraudulently acquired as claimed by the minister?
Obviously, someone who has headed the NHEL needs to come out clean and be answerable to this dilemma.
Can the minister release the so-called “comprehensive report” on Durand Farm housing project, as a public concern?
The 300-plus individuals or groups are now being taken as scapegoats for the delay in moving the project forward because of the titles issued to them.
This is a fallacious and absurd reasoning given the hype and wide publicity that the Durand Farm housing project was given some years ago, as part of addressing the demand for housing.
It is fairly obvious from what the minister is telling us, or inferring, that the NHEL completely failed to fully develop the Durand Farm land with the required infrastructure services, as well as houses thereon. It also appears that no urban development leases (UDLs) were ever given.
This is given, as reported, lack of development of the required services: Roads, drainage, water, sewerage, land survey, electricity, telecommunications, reticulations and landscaping works.
If, however, such a lease was allocated to the NHEL, then it totally failed in its fiduciary duties and responsibilities to fully account for what was allocated to it to develop the Durand Farm UDL within the required period of five years (2012 – 2017).
On Friday, May 25, in The National, we now see that a number of houses that had been built earlier have been declared as not fit for habitation.
What a farce.
It is quite sad and concerning for the 300-plus individuals or groups who now have to return the titles.
The NHEL management has to be squarely blamed for this.
One of the sales schemes that has been established by the past NHC management is the ‘Outright Cash Sales Scheme’.
One would wonder if these titles were obtained through this scheme for the incomplete land development at Durand Farm?

Concerned citizen