State govt cancels deal to allot land to Ramdev trust

The Rajasthan government will not allot a mandir mafi land to the yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanajali Trust for his proposed Rs 500-crore food park in Karauli district.

The proposed project, spread over 401 bigha land in Karoli village of the district, comprises a food park, a gurukul, a yogapeeth, an Ayurvedic hospital, an Ayurvedic medicines manufacturing centre and a cow shelter.

After the decision ran into controversy, the government has now decided not to give the mandir mafi land for the proposed project.

The erstwhile princely states used to give agriculture land to temples, which was known as mandir mafi land.

The land is registered in the name of the deity who is considered a minor. The land cannot be sold or leased or converted for commercial or agricultural purposes.

A senior official in the Devasthan department said that the agreement between the Govind Devji Trust, which owns the land, and the Patanjali Trust has been cancelled. “As per rules, the Patanjali Trust cannot carry out construction on the mandir mafi land. They will only be allowed to set up a plantation.”

Now, a new agreement will be inked between the two trusts. In the new agreement, it will be clearly stated that the land cannot be used for non-agriculture use. The mandir mafi land will be used for growing herbal and medicinal plants.

As for the food park, yoga centre, Gurukul and Ayurvedic hospital, the official said the government will consider giving alternative land, if the trust applies for it.

The foundation stone for the mega project was laid by chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Ramdev on April 22 but work could not start owing to problems over land conversion.

The Govind Devji Trust had given the land to Patanjali on a three year lease.

After the agreement, the government was in a bind over land conversion. Officials were trying to find ways to bypass the rules and change the land use. But after the decision ran into controversy, the government decided to drop plans to give the mandir mafi land to the Patanjali Trust.

JAIPUR: