Firms Linked To Adani, Ramdev etc Buy Land Previously Notified For Army In Ayodhya: Report
There has been a quiet de-notification of lands in the Ayodhya buffer zone for the army. An investigative story by The Print revealed that as the temple consecration neared and the area became a prime land, several high-profile figures purchased pieces of land which were previously notified by the state government as an army buffer zone for training, field firing and artillery practices.
According to the report, a subsidiary of the Adani Group, Homequest Infraspace, bought over 1.4 hectares of land in Majha Jamthara, just 6 km from the temple complex. The area is an unpopulated region on the bank of river Sarayu and the Homequest Infraspace bought the land from a firm founded by former BJP MLA C.P. Shukla, just two months before the consecration of the temple.
Read Also: Temple Was Put On The Market So Soon: Amitabh Bachchan Criticised For Promoting Realty In Ayodhya
In 2023, Haryana Yog Aayog Chairman Jaideep Arya, who is linked to yoga guru and entrepreneur Ramdev’s Bharat Swabhiman Trust, including Rakesh Mittal bought 3.035 hectares of land in the area. In 2022, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s public charitable trust under the aegis of the Art of Living, Vyakti Vikas Kendra (VVK), bought over 5.31 hectares of land in the same area of Majha Jamthara. The report by the news portal confirms the land registries it examined that all these lands had been notified by the state government as army buffer zones.
The Majha Jamthara was notified as a buffer zone since the area is located right next to swathes of Army land reserved for field firing and artillery practice. Notably, activities such as construction and commercial operations are prohibited in the area for safety reasons for the army.
It was on May 2024 that the office of the governor, who is the competent authority to notify and de-notify these lands as buffer zones under The Manoeuvres, Field Firing and Artillery Practice Act, 1938, de-notified the Majha Jamthara region, months after the key land deals. The de-notification of the lands opens it up for commercial operations including construction.
Read Also: Amitabh Bachchan Buys Land In Ayodhya Ahead of Ram Temple Inauguration
“It has been decided to de-notify a total of 2,211 acres of land from Plot number 1 to 398 of Village Majha Jamthara of Ayodhya Sadar Tehsil of District Ayodhya,” The Print cited a notification from the governor’s office regarding the de-notification of the lands.
According to the officials, the de-notification in the village was held since it became a prime land from the development perspective, the news portal cited sources from the state administration.
As per some officials, the government’s de-notification of land might be because the Army never uses the land nor practices there. Another official said that the land was notified years ago, the notification has little meaning, and people have been living there for years. He added that noting that several high-profile people had bought land in Majha Jamthara since it became prime property.
According to another official, the government also has a plan to build a temple museum in Majha Jamthara, pointing out that it was because of this the decision to de-notify this particular village was taken.
