Ramdev’s Solan project gets new lease of life

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 20

The Cabinet today slashed the one-time lease amount from Rs 27 crore to a mere Rs 2.39 crore for 28 acres given to Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust for setting up of a herbal garden at Kehlog village in Kandaghat, Solan district.

The project, which had been hanging fire since 2010 and had faced legal wrangles, including its takeover by the Virbhadra regime, is now likely to take shape with the Cabinet putting its stamp on it.

“The herbal garden project has been treated as a special category case, which is also done for health and educational institutions, and the amount has been worked out on the basis of 20 per cent of the total value of the land, which the revenue authorities have worked out to be Rs 11 crore,” revealed a minister.

He said the lease had been given by invoking Rule 8(d) of the Lease Rules for public cause. Since Rs 17 lakh had been paid, the trust would now pay only Rs 2.22 crore.

Even as officials claimed that no undue favour had been granted to the Swami, considered close to the saffron party, but the fact was that the one-time lease amount had been drastically reduced from 27 crore to Rs 2.40 crore. The Jai Ram government has been under pressure to reduce the amount so that the project could finally take off.

Sources said a plea was taken that the previous Congress regime had set the ball rolling for reconsidering the request of the trust and it was already under process which had merely been given approval.

Despite the Solan administration issuing seven notices to the trust to deposit the annual lease amount of Rs 1.19 crore, the trust had failed to respond and as such the matter was finally placed before the Cabinet.

Timeline

January 8, 2010: Lease approved by Dhumal cabinet 

February 2: Lease registered

February 1, 2013: FIR against Balkrishan and MD Lalit Mohan 

February 19: Lease cancelled 

February 22: Administration took control of the land

February 17, 2017: Virbhadra cabinet decides to reconsider grant of lease