More Residents of Clifton to Get Certificates of Possession

Another 200 residents of Clifton, in South St. Catherine, are to receive their Certificates of Possession, under the SCJ Holdings Limited (SCJH) Community Regularization and Development Programme.

This will bring the total number of Certificates of Possession issued to residents of the community to 300 so far. Last month, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, issued certificates to 100 families.

The handing over ceremony will be held on Friday, June 26, at the Clifton Basic School, starting at 4:00 p.m.

State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security, Hon. Luther Buchanan, along with Member of Parliament for South St. Catherine, Hon. Fitz Jackson and Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, will hand out the certificates to the residents.

According to Human Resource and Community Relations Manager at the SCJH, Kerline Graham, the Community Regularization and Development Programme’s mandate is to allow families of former sugar workers who are settling on sugar estate lands owned by SCJH, to become legitimate property owners.

The sugar estates across Jamaica, in particular Frome, Monymusk, Bernard Lodge, St. Thomas and Trelawny had provided their employees with housing in order to ensure that they were in close proximity to the farms, factories and offices.

“This project will allow the residents living in estate houses or on lands to take up the responsibility of home/land ownership and community development. The end result will reveal thriving communities post divestment of the sugar estates,” Ms. Graham said.

SCJ Holdings Limited is a wholly owned agency of the Government of Jamaica (GOJ), and its mission is to provide efficient land management services that will foster sustainable, economic and social development in former sugar-dependent communities.