Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: Under the auspices of the Prime Minister of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew, the Minister of Sustainable Development, Dr Joyelle Clarke, has assured grants and regularization of the lands to the people of the Upper Monkey Hill area of St Peters on May 24, 2023.
According to the recent information, this came during the visit of Prime Minister Terrance Drew, accompanied by his delegation to the St Peters constituency #8, where it was promised to provide the people with a legal right to own the land where they have been living for decades.
He met with the local residents and held a discussion over a number of topics, including the Freehold Title and Rehabilitation of the Fencing Project with the regularization of the lands in the area.
In addition, it was reported that the Ministry of Sustainable Development of St Kitts and Nevis is carrying out the initiative as part of the Ministry’s goal of land Allocation Normalization and Distribution (LAND) Project 2023. It was also confirmed that a similar initiative was taken up at the La Guerite constituency, which was a success.
On his part, Prime Minister Terrance Drew noted that the meeting was aimed at discussing the significance of the land regularization in Upper Monkey Hill in St Peters to grant the people land ownership where they have lived for generations at ‘no cost’.
He emphasized that the government of St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) under his leadership promised the citizens of St Peters the titleship of their lands during the 2022 election campaigns, which is now being fulfilled as pledged.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Sustainable Development has opted for the initiative to fulfil the promise and assist the families owning their land, as the people have lived in the area for over 100 years without having legal title ownership.
PM Drew stated that through this initiative, the people of Upper Monkey Hill are being empowered and encouraged to claim the righteous ownership of their land without any extra cost and complications.
During the meeting, Prime Minister addressed his fellow residents of St Peters and stated that there is a need to introduce such an initiative as the families have been living on the lands without being in possession of the actual ownership.
It was reported that the area covered approximately thirty-eight (38) acres and consisted of around one hundred and seventy-seven (177) households.
Moreover, on her part, the Minister of Sustainable Development, Dr Joyelle Clarke, also extended her remarks during the meeting addressing the people of Upper Monkey Hill. She noted that the government requires ministerial requirements with residents’ details to facilitate the initiative.
Minister Dr Joyelle Clark further emphasized that the primary motive for carrying out the initiative is to provide facilities to the resident with land titles, appropriate access to the infrastructure, security of tenure, along with management of the remaining land stock.
The reports have claimed that the meeting was led by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, where she also delivered her address to the Upper Monkey Hill residents.
In her remarks, PS Tyson outlined that to enhance the beauty of the area, a fencing project will also be carried out in the same area by completing the wall fence. It was stated that the project would increase the aesthetics of the place and make it more pleasing to uplift the community environment.
The beautification initiative is all set to build a mini-park green space which will further improve the aesthetics of the place, she added. An official from the Ministry of Sustainable Development was also on the move to collect the necessary information and details from the locals.
It was also mentioned that the LAND project is anticipated to take next years to be completed in St Peters, Upper Monkey Hill area.
Additionally, Prime Minister Terrance Drew was accompanied by a number of ministers during his visit, including the Minister of Sustainable Development (Hon.) Dr Joyelle Clarke, Ambassador Cedric Liburd, and Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Ms Shez Dore-Tyson.
