Get serious with housing

THE EDITOR: In explaining how the UNC only "finished" the controversial and flood prone Greenvale housing project, former housing minister Roodal Moonilal explained that the 500 plus houses in the problem-plagued development could not have been constructed from scratch in a three-year time frame.

Now, many of us are aware that after crime, education and health, the lack of affordable housing must rank a close 4th in the hierarchy of serious issues facing our twin island state. Yet, one often sees foreign newspaper articles, with pictures, of the most amazingly clever pre-fab houses of all kinds that can be constructed in a matter of days, following the availability of the necessary infrastructure, such as foundations, drainage, power lines and roads.

Surely, our government should be partnering with the best of these pre-fab housing providers to quickly make a serious dent in the HDC waiting list of 140,000 families, who are desperate to access affordable housing.

Finally, one of the worlds best charities Habitat for Humanity, which operates in T&T, are also very skilled at building starter family homes, in a timely fashion, but I am told that both PNM and UNC governments show little interest in partnering with them. Maybe the current Housing Minister and the always vocal former minister, Mr Moonilal, can tell us why.

Gregory Wight, Maraval

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"Get serious with housing"

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