Baba Ramdev’s trust awaits revival of lease in Solan

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, April 30

Yoga Guru Ramdev’s Pitanjali Yogpeeth Trust was yet to receive any communication about the revival of 96.02 bigha land lease at Kehlog village near Sadhupul after the state Cabinet had given its nod for reviving the land lease about a fortnight ago.

This lease had been cancelled on February 27, 2013 hours before Ramdev could inaugurate the first phase of its yog centre.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Negi confirmed that they were yet to receive any communication from the state government in this context.

The officials of the trust were also keenly awaiting the revival of this lease as it will enable them to decide their future course of action. With Rs 14 crore expenditure already having been incurred on creating facilities here the trust was keen to begin work as the project has been delayed by four years.

Laxmidutt Sharma, a trust official, who was looking after this case, said no information had as yet been received by them.

He said they have only learnt from the newspapers that the land lease has been revived while no such official communication has been received either at the head office at Haridwar or by them locally.

The state government had on February 17 decided to revive the land lease conditionally if the trust withdrew a case filed against the state government for cancelling the land lease.

A hall measuring 10,500 sq feet had already been constructed over it where a training, naturopathy and yog centres were supposed to come up, besides a small processing centre for locally available medicinal plants. A herbal garden was also supposed to be setup here in the first phase.

The previous BJP government had granted this land on lease to the trust for setting up a Medical Science Research Centre, Health Tourism and production of herbal medicinal plants.

It was granted for 99 years on a payment of Rs 17,31,214 in lump sum and charging Re 1 as token lease amount per month in January 2010.