After Patanjali threatens to exit, govt says land issue would be sorted soon

LUCKNOW: Hours after a controversy erupted around Rs 2000-crore mega food park project of Swami Ramdev-owned

Patanjali

in Greater Noida, when its CEO Acharya Balkrishna announced on Tuesday that the group was moving out of the state because of BJP government.'s indifferent attitude, the government went into a damage-control exercise saying that all the issues with the firm would be sorted out soon.


A highly placed sources told TOI that chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his team of officers personally spoke to Ramdev to convince him about the state government’s efforts and cooperation for setting up his mega food park in Greater Noida.

Earlier on Tuesday, Balkrishna tweeted: “The proposed mega food park which also had Central government’s approval has been cancelled. The Greater Noida food park would have brought prosperity to the land of Lord Rama and Krishna. However, because of the state government's indifference this will remain a dream. We have decided to shift to some other location.''

Proposed to come up over an area of around 465 acre at an estimated cost of around Rs 2000 crore, the project entailing establishment of a food processing unit, was given a nod by the previous Akhilesh Yadav government in 2016. Catering to the domestic and export markets through its step-down firm Patanjali Food & Herbal Park, the project was estimated to have provided direct employment to over 8,000 people, sources said.

As soon as the CM office came to know about it, Yogi reportedly called up Ramdev to clarify that there was no delay in the project. Patanjali's proposal to transfer the land from one company to other was in the process and to be approved by the cabinet which would be done in the next meeting, Yogi reportedly told Ramdev, clarifying about procedural formalities that would be completed by next week. Ramdev also confirmed to the CM that his food park project would stay in UP, said a CM office source.

Talking to TOI, additional chief secretary

Anoop Pandey

, holding the charge of industrial and infrastructure development , explained that there was no issue now as Swami Ramdev had been explained about the procedure which would be completed by next week.

For the mega food parks, the government gives a subsidy of Rs 150 crore, but the promoter should have a minimum 50 acres of land with it for setting up the food park in the name of the company which is developing it. In this case,

Patanjali Group

had 465 acres of land in Noida, but not in the name of

Patanjali Foods

, the subsidiary unit of the Patanjali group, which is promoting the food park. Ramdev wanted that the mega food park subsidy should be given in the name of the company which was allotted 465 acres of land while the industrial development department explained that the land had to be in the name of the company which was setting up the park.

"Therefore, 50 acre land out of 465 acres is being transferred in the name of Patanjali Foods and by the next cabinet it would be approved. The Patanjali group had applied for the transfer which would be approved by the cabinet next week, Pandey said, adding "once the land is transferred in the name of Patanjali Foods, the process for setting up the park would start," Pandey said.