Land allotment to Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Peeth in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand has led to a row with farmers, with the latter threatening legal action and agitation if respective state governments fail to restore the land back to farmers.
Himachal Pradesh government has allegedly given on lease more than 30 acres to Patanjali Peeth of Swami Ramdev for a meager R17 lakh and on a token lease of R1 per annum. The land is situated at Kalhis near Sadhupur and Kandaghat in Solan District of Himachal Pradesh. Similarly, Patanjali Peeth has allegedly acquired 264 hectare common land of villages and fertile agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes at Haridwar.
Farmers in AurangzebTeliwala in Uttarkhand and Sadhupur in Solan district have sent representations to the chief ministers. Government sources told FE that SDM had received a complaint from village head in this regard. Padamshri Avdhash Kaushal, chairman of rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) has threatened to sue Uttarkhand government for Contempt of Court if does not restore 264 hectares to Gam Panchayats.
Kaushal told FE, ?In a criminal use of might, the Uttarkhand government had allotted village common land which can not be alienated to Pataqnjali Peeth of Swami Ramdev at Hardwar.?