Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Wednesday directed officials to expedite the process for Patanjali Ayurved to set up its Rs 6,000-crore food park in Noida, a day after Ramdev’s firm said it would relocate the project out of the state due to lack of cooperation.
Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Information) Awanish Awasthi told PTI that Adityanath spoke to Patanjali Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna. “The chief minister has talked to Acharya Balkrishna and heard his grievances. There is no cancellation yet,” Awasthi said. “They have been allotted land and the project will commenced. The chief minister has directed officials to expedite the process.”
Uttar Pradesh minister Satish Mahana had earlier on Wednesday said that Adityanath spoke to both Ramdev and Balkrishna. “There is no need to sign another memorandum of understanding. It will be brought up before the Cabinet,” he said according to NDTV.
Company spokesperson SK Tijarwala said Patanjali was reviewing its decision following Adityanath’s assurances. “We do trust the assurances given by him,” he told PTI.
“Today I was informed that the central government-sanctioned mega food park had been cancelled... in the holy land of Ram and Krishna, the scheme to bring prosperity to the lives of farmers is incomplete due to the apathy of the state government,” Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna had said on Twitter on Tuesday. Balkrishna told PTI that Patanjali did not get the required clearances from the state government.
The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority had allotted 455 acres of land to Patanjali Ayurved in November 2016 – 430 acres for industrial use and 25 acres for institutional purposes. The company had planned to set up a university and research centre on the 25-acre plot. It was touted as the largest project by Patanjali after its headquarters in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
Company spokesperson SK Tijarawala said they decided to shift the project because the state government was “not in a mood to encourage” them. “The state government does not want farmers of this area to benefit from this project,” he said, according to the Hindustan Times.
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