Ministry denies corruption over Lallbachan house lot transaction

The Ministry of Housing and Water has denied allegations of corruption levelled at it in relation to a transaction with Javitree Lallbachan and its explanation underlines how one person can gain access to more than one house lot.

In a statement yesterday the ministry provided a timeline for events surrounding its transactions with Lallbachan.

It said that Lallbachan, in 2005, was allocated Lot 1730 in the Tuschen Housing Scheme. In 2018, she sold this lot, and the new owner, Mohamed Reiza Kassim, was issued Transport #312/2018.

Veerama Sukul, who owns Parcel 89, Pln. Tuschen (Railway Reserve) then gave Lallbachan permission to reside at Parcel 89, after Lallbachan stated that she was in dire circumstances.

The statement said that Lallbachan reapplied for a house lot and was allocated Parcel 109, Pln. Edinburgh, West Coast Demerara, for which she paid $25,000 out of the total cost of $475,000, and is now seeking to transfer this land to her daughter.

Despite already being allocated the land at Parcel 109, Pln. Edinburgh, the statement said that Lallbachan began pursuing ownership of Parcel 89, Tuschen (Railway Reserve), owned by Sukul.

In November 2022, the Ministry conducted a survey of Pln. Tuschen (Railway Reserve) for regularization and Lallbachan was found occupying Parcel 89. The statement said that Lallbachan asserted ownership of the land in question. Subsequently, a notice was issued for payment to be made on December 11, 2022, for the processing of the Certificate of Title. The statement said that Lallbachan made a payment of $163,000 and received an allocation letter.

However, the Ministry said it noticed discrepancies during the processing and the finalization of the Agreement and Title was halted, as investigations revealed a dispute between Sukul and Lallbachan, regarding Parcel 89.

Private legal actions were taken against Lallbachan by Sukul, resulting in a decision in Sukul’s favour by the Guyana Lands and Surveys (GLSC) Dispute Resolution Committee in 2021. Following this, GLSC took legal action in 2022, leading to a court-granted eviction of Lallbachan from Parcel 89, Pln. Tuschen.

The Ministry statement said that Lallbachan is still pursuing ownership of the land at Parcel 89, Pln. Tuschen.

“It is crucial to reiterate that the Ministry of Housing and Water was unaware of the dispute between Ms. Sukul and Ms. Lallbachan during the initial notification to Ms. Lallbachan, and our records later revealed her prior land allocation at Parcel 109, Pln. Edinburgh”, the statement said.

The Ministry said it has since taken a decision to rescind the allocation at Parcel 89, Pln. Tuschen from Lallbachan, since it has no jurisdiction over the said portion of land, as it was settled privately in the court. The agency has also since encouraged Lallbachan’s daughter to apply for a house lot.

“The Ministry of Housing and Water unequivocally affirms its unwavering commitment to the equitable and impartial allocation of land”, the statement said.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the ministry confirmed that one of its employees had been dismissed after evidence was gathered that she solicited money from persons to expedite their land applications.