Barbudans will get the opportunity to own the lands they previously occupied as the island seeks to rebuild following the devastation caused by the passage of Hurricane Irma last week.
According to the Antigua Observer, Prime Minister Gaston Browne made the disclosure yesterday during a special sitting of Parliament where he said Barbudans would be given a crown grant of one dollar to obtain legal ownership of the lands on the 62-square mile island.
Currently, land ownership is prohibited on the island of Barbuda; all lands in Barbuda are vested in the crown on behalf of the people on the sister island.
Over 1,000 people on Barbuda had to be evacuated from the island last week after the country’s leader described the situation as “uninhabitable” following the hurricane that has also been blamed for the death of a two-year old child.
Meanwhile, the government has announced a tentative agreement with the United Arab Emirates to assist with the installation of 800-megawatt solar power facility on Barbuda, as well as a medical health system.
Prime Minister Browne also said that he had instructed his bank to transfer EC$100,000 from his savings to a fund for the rehabilitation of the island.
