By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
After a leading newspaper’s expose’, leader of the opposition Yashpal Arya on Friday sought a CBI inquiry into what he called the biggest scam in Uttarakhand where he alleged land worth Rs 30,000 crore in Mussoorie was given on Rs one crore annual lease to a firm of Baba Ramdev’s associate Acharya Balkrishna’s company, a charge denied by the ruling BJP.
BJP’s state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said that the allotment process for tourism activities at George Everest in Mussoorie has been done as per law and every procedure has been followed.
CPI-ML leader Indresh Maikhuri also demanded an inquiry on the report alleging the entire process was “fixed”.
“The Uttarakhand government is crossing all limits of corruption. In the previous assembly session, the issue of giving the tourism department’s land worth Rs 30000 crores in the George Everest area of Mussoorie on lease for Rs 1 crore per year was prominently raised. The company to which this land was given was related to Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali,” Arya claimed in his post on Facebook. (See Pic).
“Today, a reputed newspaper of Delhi has published this news. This has exposed the fraud committed to grab the tourism related contract worth billions of rupees,” Arya alleged.
Arya said the Uttarakhand Tourism Board had issued a tender for adventure tourism in (George Everest aera) Mussoorie. “The person who got the tender was to get the responsibility of managing the spot spread over 142 acres which included museum, observatory, cafeteria, sports area, parking etc. Out of this land, 142 acres of land (762 Bigha or 2862 Naali or 5744566 sq.m.) was given on rent by the Deputy Executive Officer of Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council to Rajas Aero Sports and Adventure Private Limited for only Rs. 1 crore per annum,” he claimed.
Acharya Balkrishna’s company got this tender with a fee of only Rs. 1 crore per annum, Arya alleged.
Meanwhile, BJP’s state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said that the allotment process for tourism activities at George Everest in Mussoorie has been done as per law and every procedure has been followed.
Reacting to the allegation of Leader of Opposition Arya, Chauhan said that in the year 1987-88, a total of 172.91 acres of land was acquired in George Everest by the then Uttar Pradesh government through the district administration by the Tourism Department.
In the year 2019, the construction work of George Everest Heritage Park was started under the Externally Aided Scheme (ADB Project), whose construction work was completed in November 2022. Under the scheme, infrastructure was created for construction/renovation of George Everest House Museum, laboratory, 05 huts cafe etc., under Common Park State Road and other tourism activities. All these works were done through ADB at a cost of Rs. 23.52 crores.
E-tenders were invited under Uttarakhand Procurement Rules 2017 for operation, management and development of aerosports activities in this asset George Everest Estate Mussoorie.
Chauhan said that till the prescribed date, three firms had submitted their proposals through e-tender. The asset has been given for operation and maintenance for 15 years and the Tourism Department owns the land and assets.
He said that Congress is presenting a negative vision by raising questions on the development process. This place is currently a source of economy through tourism activities in the state.
Significantly, a leading newspaper in New Delhi has published a story in Friday’s edition on the alleged George Everest scam.