A site visit to take stock of the progress regarding the construction of 200 social housing units being undertaken at Riche Terre 2 by the New Social Living Development Ltd (NSLD) was carried out by the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo, on Friday afternoon. He was accompanied by the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training, Mr Soodesh Satkam Callichurn and the Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mr Sharvanand Ramkaun.
In his address following the site visit, DPM Obeegadoo expressed satisfaction as regards the progress of the construction works that have been carried out and underlined that one third of the project has been completed. He informed that a budget of Rs 548 million has been allocated for this project, and that each unit will amount to approximately Rs 2.7 million.
The DPM highlighted that the project is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and that the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning is considering the possibility of accelerating its completion or delivering completed units in phases.
Moreover, he underlined that the following amenities are included on the new housing estate: a multipurpose area/hall; a children’s playground; a commercial space; sports facilities; community services; and easy access to public transport facilities, places of worship, schools and healthcare facilities, amongst others.
The DPM also gave an update as regards the construction of 8,000 social housing units being carried out by the NSLD, pointing out that 38 sites for the phase 1 of the project have been identified. Construction works, he reminded, have already kickstarted on 37 sites.
Furthermore, he recalled that the National Housing Development Co. Ltd (NHDC Ltd) is concurrently undertaking construction of social housing units. He indicated that from November 2019 to December 2023, 2,470 units have been delivered. Similarly, it is spearheading two more similar projects at La Valette, and Mare D’Albert, he said.
As regards new projects for 2024, DPM Obeegadoo stated that 11 sites have been identified for the construction of 613 social housing units. Therefore, the objective of the NHDC Ltd is to deliver some 3,500 social housing units by end of 2024, he informed.
