At least four plots of land formerly belonging to the Wales Sugar Estate have been sold to private individuals by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).
According to the Official Gazette of December 29, businessman Raymond Khalil has purchased Lots 1 and 2 of land at Plantation Wales along with the buildings there. Additionally Roopnaraine Ramkishun and Deonarine Boodramlall both of Patentia purchased Lot 5 and Lot 7 respectively while businessman Sasenarain Shewnarain of Versailles has purchased Lot 20.
According to the Transfer of Property Order the transfer of property was implemented by NICIL on June 29 following a Board resolution on June 1.
The resolution also approved the sale of approximately 12 acres of land to Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) at what was formerly Plantation Great Diamond. This estate was closed in 2009 by the PPP/C administration.
The lands bought by DDL are Blocks R, N2, N4 and N5 which are 1.3, 5, 5 and 0.6 acres respectively.
Earlier this year 30 lots of what would be considered prime lands of the now shuttered Wales Sugar Estate on the West Bank of Demerara were offered for sale via public advertisement
An advertisement carried in the Stabroek News of March 2 by the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) set up under the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) stated that Lots numbered 1 to 12 and 14 to 31, parts of Plantation Wales along the eastern and western sides of the West Bank Public Road were up for sale.
Interested persons were asked to register with the SPU and purchase the tender package at a cost of $5,000. Tenders were to be received no later than March 16th, 2018.
The advertising of these lots came even though the hundreds of workers made redundant when the Wales Estate closed at the end of 2016 had not been offered any lands.
There had been statements by several officials that the allocation of land to the workers made redundant was a possibility.
