These programs are intended to be run from a command line via the MSDOS batch files that are in the \usr\local\ppt\bin directory. While these batch files DO call Perl scripts, I'd think twice about calling those scripts directly without looking at how the batch file calls the script.

To me the safest way to call it is calling the batch file using the system() function.

(Missing operator before $file?)

I'm not familiar with the script in question, but you definitely need an operator between those scalars, as the error message suggests. Try this:

chgrp( $new_group, $file ) or die( 'etc.' );
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Additionally:

use lib '/usr/local/ppt/bin';
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Adds the path to the script to your lib path, but it doesn't actually load the script itself.

Update: Looking at what you are trying to do in your unlinked-but-related node, what is wrong with just using chown?

chown( -1, scalar getgrnam("save"), $file ) 
   or die( "$! etc." );
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Note: that's an example usage, not a recommended one. Make sure that getgrnam returns something in production code.