NICIL gifts Turkeyen land to China Railway
With the intention of making an official check for the assent of the amended 2014 Appropriation Bill by President Donald Ramotar in the Official Gazette, the Alliance for Change (AFC) learnt instead that NICIL has gifted a plot of Turkeyen land to China Railway Engineering Group.
China Railway was considered as a key construction partner during discussions last year on the controversial Amaila Falls Hydro Project.
During a press conference Ramjattan said, βWe have taken a look at the Official Gazette and we found a double transfer of lands at Turkeyen from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) which is headed by Winston Brassington.β
This publication checked the latest publication of the Official Gazette and it stated that a portion of one acre of land of Plantation Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara as shown on a plan by D. Ramkarran, a sworn land surveyor dated June 18, 2013 and signed by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh on April 4, was transferred to NICIL.
The Member of Parliament added, βNICIL then transferred to China Railway Guyana Incorporated, a piece of land as the donor and the donee. There was no cost attached to the land transfer.β
The AFC Leader stressed that he would like the government to be transparent about this questionable transaction and explain why Lands and Surveys, transferred the land to NICIL and why it was not sold to the engineering group.