Indian group denies acquiring 10,000
acres land in Guyana
…but Ramsammy says yes
The DY Patil Group has denied that it has started works on agricultural lands in the Canje Basin and that it is in no way connected or has any links to former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
The DY Patil group yesterday responded to the allegations in the press. It said that it was still in negotiations with the Government and that no land has been handed over to the company.
Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy
This is in stark contrast to the pronouncements by Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy who said that the DY Patil Group had already been allocated 10,000 acres of land to develop.
According to the group it is committed to making the project successful hence it is necessary for it to do a lot of due diligence, pre-viability and technical studies before it begins operations.
The company explained that the final agreement is still subject to the terms and conditions that are under negotiations and will only be concluded when both parties are mutually satisfied with its contents.
According to Patil, the company already has people who are on the “ground” working on various aspects doing studies and looking into the viability of the project.
During the negotiations of the agricultural project and in all their interactions with the Government of Guyana and its authorities they have been clearly told that the primary aim of this project was to create meaningful employment and economic opportunities for the people of Guyana, there is nothing secretive about these negotiations with the Government and periodic press releases will be made on the progress of this project henceforth.
The group said that it was surprised at the news of there being a connection between former President Bharrat Jagdeo and the Chairman Dr Ajeenkya D Y Patil with regards to the doctorates being awarded.
“We would like to clarify that both these personalities have been awarded the doctorate by a reputed UK University at different occasions. Dr Ajeenkya D Y Patil was awarded the doctorate many years before it was awarded to former President Bharrat Jagdeo and the same is the case of the doctorate given by the D Y Patil University in India to Former President Bharrat Jagdeo in view of his excellent work done” the group stated.
Dr Ajeenkya D Y Patil was recently appointed as the Honorary Consul of Guyana in Mumbai; this position is given to eminent personalities around the world.
According to the statement issued by the group, Dr Patil is greatly honoured to have been given the position and is grateful to the “Government of Guyana and its loving people.”
According to the statement, “We would like to assure everyone at large that there is complete transparency in this project and we look forward to your support to make Guyana a robust and sound economy in the entire Caribbean Region, we would also like to state that our Group is ethically bound to take up projects that better the lives of the local population and contribute to the growth of the country and we will feel most honoured and pleased to contribute to the progress of this great country.”
