ST. CATHERINE
| KINGSTON, June 23 (JIS): |
 The
Ministry of Land and Environment through the Land Administration and
Management Programme (LAMP), will be surveying and regularizing 10,915
parcels of land in St. Catherine by December.Minister of Land and Environment, Dean Peart made the announcement yesterday (June 22) during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Gordon House. Giving an update on the programme, the Minister said that some 30,000 parcels of land in St. Catherine were to be surveyed and regularized. To date, he said that 19,085 parcels have been surveyed. Meanwhile, 15,000 of these parcels would be brought under the Registration of Titles Act and Certificates of Titles issued to landowners. He informed that so far, more than 12 communities in St. Catherine have benefited from LAMP. Some of these communities include: Old Harbour, Treadways, Sligoville, Point Hill, Harker’s Hall, Mount Rosser, Glengoffe, Above Rocks, Church Pen, Bog Walk, sections of Spanish Town, Watermount, West Prospect. The Land and Environment Minister said that the programme had helped several families living on lands with no security of tenure. “This Government, through a hardworking and dedicated team at LAMP, is helping thousands of families in these communities to say: ‘this land is our land’”, he said. “Land ownership provides an incentive for people to employ sustainable agricultural practices that will benefit Jamaica’s environment,” he added. The cadastral mapping and tenure regularisation component of LAMP was launched in July 2002, with the primary objective of mapping a total of 30,000 parcels of land in the parish by the end of 2004. Minister Peart also disclosed that the Special Provisions Act - the Cadastral Mapping and Tenure Regularisation, was in its final draft stage. This legislation, he said, would facilitate the cadastral mapping, clarification and regularisation of all parcels of land in Jamaica. The Map will improve the integrity of the land titling system and allow for a credible Land Valuation Information System (LVIS). This system, he informed, would provide vital information such as geographical location and data for the Land Valuation Roll Report. When completed, the Cadastral Map will also facilitate the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This system will be used to capture data that are geographically based, such as utilities, watershed, land use and soils. “Jamaica’s ability to prepare development projects, analyse and predict social, environmental and economic impacts on communities will be greatly enhanced by the use of this system,” he said. The Cadastral Index, which has been developed, will be used to assist with the preparation of the Cadastral Map. This Index is also being used for the planning of the Highway 2000 corridor to ensure sustainable development. Cadastral Index is completed in all parishes except St. Thomas. Of the 700,000 parcels of land on the Valuation Roll, 661,029 parcels have been captured on the Index. |
