ST ANDREW, Jamaica — Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Karl Samuda has urged residents of Bedward Gardens in St Andrew to stay and build their community into one they can be proud of.

The minister, who has responsibility for housing, was speaking Monday during a ceremony to hand over titles to residents in the former Operation PRIDE community.

Thirty-one residents received titles for lots during the ceremony on Monday, which was organised by the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ).

According to a release, Samuda cautioned residents whose lots had been assessed as vulnerable to landslides by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), that the HAJ would not provide owners of these lots with titles as long as their safety was at risk.

“We simply will not give you a title for a place that is at risk of landslides and flooding,” Samuda was quoted as saying.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Member of Parliament for East Rural St Andrew, Juliet Holness and Managing Director of HAJ, Gary Howell.