(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.