By Yiep Joseph
Central Equatoria State has commenced allotment of plots to residents in Gudele Block B Extension.
The exercise, conducted the state Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Public Utilities, is expected to pave way for improved service delivery in the area.
The State Minister of Lands, Housing, and Public Utilities. David Morbe Aquilino, on Monday, launched the long-awaited event, which brought visible happiness to the residents.
Addressing the residents, the minister explained that the initiative aims to ensure every plot owner knows their boundaries relative to their neighbours.
He pledged to ensure that the demarcation, or showing of plots, is conducted in a transparent and peaceful manner.
Morbe urged the residents to respect the engineering team and provide them with a conducive and friendly environment to complete the process of showing individual plots.
“I came here to witness the showing of plots to the owners. I do not want a situation where engineers are harassed, sometimes beaten. Respect them and let them do their work,” Morbe stated.
He further urged residents to remain organised and ensure that any disagreements are resolved through the relevant authorities and dialogue.
The Minister assured residents that the process of showing each person the parameters of their land is intended to facilitate the provision of social services such as good roads, electricity, and clean water to everyone.
The Minister noted that previously, people in their areas continued to live without a proper survey, hence the necessity of showing them the parameters of their plots.
On his part, Galdino Henry, the Deputy Director for Survey in the State Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Public Utilities, revealed that the exercise targets more than 600 plots.
“More than 600 plots of land are being targeted, and we are starting with 63 plots. The rest will follow in the coming days. Those with official documents should get their land demarcated, while challenges faced by others will be resolved,” Henry explained.
He added that while the roads had already been opened, there was no proper demarcation or showing of boundaries to the owners previously.
“The road is opened; we are just showing the plots and the boundary between neighbours,” he clarified.
He urged the residents to adhere to the instructions from the engineers carrying out the survey.
Meanwhile, Augustino Lado, the area leader, expressed appreciation to the government for the initiative, adding that it will enable services such as clean drinking water and electricity to reach the area easily.
“With this showing, services like good roads, electricity, and clean water can easily be provided,” he said.
“All these services will come, and I have to appreciate the state government. In case there are challenges related to the showing, I am able to help resolve them,” he added.
He further added that after the showing, residents will clearly know their plot boundaries.