No ban on entry of Ramdev: Himachal govt

The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday said there was no ban on the entry of yoga guru Baba Ramdev in the state.

‘No instructions have been issued regarding ban on entry of Baba Ramdev into the state,’ chief secretary S Roy said in a statement here.

The state government late Tuesday decided to revoke the lease on land given to the yoga guru in 2010 as there were violations of land-use norms.

‘Instructions have been given to the deputy commissioner to take back possession of the land allotted to Baba Ramdev in Solan district,’ revenue minister Kaul Singh Thakur said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in 2010 gave the land to Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth for a one-time lease payment of Rs.17 lakh for 99 years at a token annual fee of Re.1.

The prime land is located near Sadhupul in Solan district, where the yoga guru is setting up a branch of his Patanjali Yogpeeth. The land originally belonged to the erstwhile royal family of Patiala.