Rao dismisses rumours of his dismissal

CHAIRMAN of the Estate Management Business Development Company (EMBDC), Uthara Rao, yesterday dismissed rumours that the EMBDC’s Board of Directors had moved a vote of no-confidence against him during a meeting at the EMBDC’s Valsayn offices on Thursday. Rao told Newsday there was an EMBDC board meeting on Thursday, but no such decision was taken against him. “It is absolutely untrue,” he said. The EMBDC chairman said several administrative matters were dealt with at Thursday’s board meeting, and it was no different from any other meeting. Rao added that it appeared as if someone was “up to mischief.”

While certain sources claimed a no-confidence vote was taken against Rao at Thursday’s meeting, other sources would only say that the meeting took place and declined to give any additional details about it. Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Christine Sahadeo, (under whose portfolio the EMBDC falls) said she had not received any information from the company about a no-confidence vote being taken against Rao. The EMBDC manages the assets of the now defunct Caroni (1975) Ltd and, within recent weeks, Rao has been under relentless attack from the Opposition UNC in the Senate over certain allegations made against him which are currently before the Industrial Court. During Tuesday’s debate of the Caroni Land Vesting Bill in the Senate, UNC Senator Robin Montano was stopped from reading documents containing allegations against Rao.

The EMBDC chairman said he was aware of the claims being made against him by the Opposition, describing them as unfounded. Rao added that he was a human being and, like any other person against whom allegations were made, he was disturbed about the claims being made against him but would not comment about things which were being bandied about as scandal. Sahadeo indicated that once the Caroni Land Vesting Bill becomes law, the 7,100 former Caroni workers who had applied for agricultural lands would receive their assigned plots by the end of July. On Tuesday, Govern-ment acknowledged concerns raised by Opposition and Independent Senators about the Bill and referred it to a Joint Select Committee of the Upper House for further deliberation.