Deposit lease money, Patanjali trust told

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, September 7

The district administration has sent a notice to Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust of Yog Guru Baba Ramdev to deposit the revised lease amount of Rs 12 crore for the lease of 96.02 bigha land at Kehlog village in the Kandaghat sub-division, which was first cancelled and then revived by the former Congress government in May 2017. The land was earlier leased out at Rs 17,31,214 in 2010 for a medical, health and tourism project.

The trust has shown no interest in availing the land after its lease was revived as five notices issued by the district revenue authorities have failed to draw any response. The revised amount had been worked out on the basis of revised lease rules in May last year whereby one-tenth of the circle rate is taken into consideration. The existing circle rate of this land was Rs 12.85 lakh per bigha as per the revenue records.

Deputy Commissioner, Vinod Kumar, said as many as five notices had been issued to the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust to deposit the revised lease amount and if no response was received from them the case would be referred to the higher authorities for cancellation of the lease.

The trust representatives had termed this revised amount as exorbitant and had said that it was unfair to introduce new lease norms midway when Rs 14 crore had been incurred on this medical science, research, health and tourism project. The trust which had filed a case in the court against cancellation of this lease in 2010 had withdrawn it later as per the condition laid by the state government in 2017.

This lease was first granted on January 19, 2010 by the previous BJP government for 99 years on payment of Rs 17,31,214 in lump sum and Re 1 was due to be charged as the token lease money every month. It was given as per the provisions of the HP Lease Rules, 1993, and it was supposed to be used for the sole purpose of setting up this medical centre.

The project had, however, become controversial when the Congress came to power in December 2012. The state government had taken possession of this centre shortly before Yog Guru Ramdev could inaugurate its first phase on February 27, 2013. The foundation stone of this centre was laid on June 20, 2010 by the former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and the project had run into rough weather following change of regime in 2012.

Interestingly, a case of forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy had also been registered against Acharya Balkrishan, Lalit Mohan, MD of the trust, and some officers, including the then Deputy Commissioner on February 1, 2013. Inquires had revealed that the land was allotted at Chauhada village while an overwriting had been made and the location of the land was changed to Kehlog village.

Not much headway had, however, been made in this case ever since it was registered five years ago. The exercise appears to have been reduced to a political gimmick as even the charge sheet could not be filed in the court. Sources in the police informed that the state government was yet to accord prosecution sanction against these officers since 2015.

‘Charges exorbitant’

The trust representatives has termed this revised amount as exorbitant and said that it was unfair to introduce new lease norms midway when Rs 14 crore had been incurred on this medical science, research, health and tourism project. The trust which had filed a case in the court against cancellation of this lease in 2010 had withdrawn it  as per the condition laid by the state in 2017.