EMBDC will work with Rao

Enill told Newsday that this decision was reached after he met with EMBDC directors last Thursday.

The minister said the directors expressed their concerns to him and the discussions were open and frank. He said at the end of the meeting, the directors agreed to find a way to work with Rao.

Enill said he had no further meetings planned with the EMBDC board, and could not say if the board would meet with Prime Minister Patrick Manning (as sources close to the board said directors had initially requested).

He added that the main problem appeared to be the structure of working relations between Rao and the board, and once a proper plan to address those issues was in place, there should be no additional problem.

The minister previously indicated that Rao was appointed by the Government, and only Government could remove him from his current post.

A series of charges have been made against Rao, and the EMBDC chairman has dismissed all allegations made against him. The EMBDC is responsible for managing the 77,000 acres of land formerly held by the now defunct Caroni (1975) Ltd.

According to company officials, all things being equal, approximately 2,000 of the 7,105 former Caroni employees who have applied for agricultural lands should receive their allotted parcels by year’s end.

The officials said signficant preparatory work has been done on many of these lands, and work is ongoing on others.

The Caroni Land Vesting Bill which will expedite the distribution of the lands is currently before a select committee of the Senate.

At last month’s Indian Arrival Day celebrations in St Helena, the Prime Minister said all who claimed that Government would fail to honour its promises to former Caroni workers will be silenced once it begins this process.