A day after Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved said that it’s pulling out of its proposed Rs 6,000-crore mega food processing project in Noida, Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday sprung into action and assured that the issue would be resolved in a week’s time. The matter would be placed before the cabinet meeting on June 12. Official sources said the matter was accorded top priority after the intervention of the prime minister’s office asked the UP government to resolve the issue.
“land measuring 455 acres was allotted to Patanjali Ayurveda Pvt limited on November 2, 2016. later the Union food ministry granted in principal approval to Patanjali to set up mega Food Park. later on March 23 this year Patanjali ayurved pvt limited demanded for the transfer of 91 acres of land to Patanjali food and Herbal Park, the subsidiary of the Patanjali Ayurved Pvt limited. The earlier allotment was made with the approval of the cabinet and the proposal of transfer of 91 acres of land will also be approved by the cabinet ‘’, said the industries minister Satish Mahana here on Wednesday.
“CM Yogi Adityanath has talked to Baba Ramdev and heard his grievances and directions have been issued to officials to expedite the process of resolution of the matter’’, said the minister. Patanjali Ayurved said on Wednesday that it is pulling out of the project along the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh due to non-cooperation from the state government.
Blaming Adityanath government for the pullout, Patanjali Ayurved limited managing director Acharya Balkrishna posted on micro blogging site Twitter on Tuesday: “Came to know about quashing of Mega Food Park, approved by the Centre, in Greater Noida. The pledge to bring prosperity to the lives of farmers in the land of Sri Ram and Krishna remained incomplete because of the indifference of the state government’’.
Citing the reason for pulling out of the state, he said, “We did not get any cooperation from the state government for this project. We have waited for long time for the clearances but could not get from the state government. Now we have decided to shift the project.”
The Hairdwar-based company had proposed to invest up to Rs 6,000 crore to set up a plant in 455 acres of land at Yamuna Expressway Industrial development authority (YEIDA) to cater the domestic and export markets through its step-down firm Patanjali Food & Herbal Park.
Patanjali had said that its plant would produce goods worth Rs 25,000 crore annually, if it runs to its full capacity and would create 10,000 direct jobs. Presently, it has mega food park projects in Nagpur (MP) and Tejpur (Assam).
A massive controversy has broken out over Baba Ramdev announced to shelve the project. After Ramdev’s decision, U.P Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached out to him on Tuesday night and has promised to take fast decision.
Patanjali’s Food and Herbal Park that was earlier slated to be opened in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida has reportedly been shelved by Ramdev on June 5. Getting his Rs 6000 crore project out from the state, Ramdev said that it was the non-cooperation from the Yogi government that forced him to move his mega food project to another state. On the other hand, UP government said that it has given one more month to Patanjali to fulfill the required documents and conditions in order to get the project back on track.