Mantalai: 3 years on, Int’l Yoga & wellness centre still non operational
With a built-in pyramid and an inverted pyramid structure, this centre is equipped with stay in facilities for tourists and learners
Nearly three years on, the international Yoga and wellness centre, first of its kind in the government sector, made in the picturesque Mantalai of Chenani tehsil in Udhampur district at a cost of ₹100 crores, remains non operational.
The first-of-its-kind facility has come up at Aparna Ashram, which once belonged to controversial godman Dhirendra Brahmachari – the yogic mentor of late prime minister Indira Gandhi.
With a built-in pyramid and an inverted pyramid structure, this centre is equipped with stay in facilities for tourists and learners. However, the infrastructure still remains idle and has started decaying.
“When this project, basically a brainchild of the then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was initiated, we thought it would improve socio-economic condition of the local populace and put Udhampur on the world map of yoga and spiritual tourism,” said Abhijeet Gupta, 41, a local from Udhampur.
Gupta said that almost three years have passed since the project was completed. “It remains idle as government has so far failed to operationalise it. The Patnitop development authority (PDA) acts only as a caretaker. It does not even have adequate resources to maintain this big infrastructure,” he added.
However, the PDA chief executive officer Virender Manyal said that the yoga centre will be operationalised soon. “Commissioner secretary of the industries and commerce department, who is the chairman of a committee, has sought request for proposal. The project has to be outsourced, for which Ernst & Young (EY), a British multinational professional services firm, has been engaged,” said Manyal.
{{/usCountry}}However, the PDA chief executive officer Virender Manyal said that the yoga centre will be operationalised soon. “Commissioner secretary of the industries and commerce department, who is the chairman of a committee, has sought request for proposal. The project has to be outsourced, for which Ernst & Young (EY), a British multinational professional services firm, has been engaged,” said Manyal.
{{/usCountry}}The CEO hoped that the tender would soon be floated, which in turn pave way for the project to be commissioned within a month.
{{/usCountry}}The CEO hoped that the tender would soon be floated, which in turn pave way for the project to be commissioned within a month.
{{/usCountry}}Manyal, however, denied that the project has started decaying. “Around 18 to 20 security personnel have been deployed there and we also visit the centre regularly,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Manyal, however, denied that the project has started decaying. “Around 18 to 20 security personnel have been deployed there and we also visit the centre regularly,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}The international Yoga centre with allied facilities started taking roots in November 2017. The project was implemented by National Projects Construction Corporation Limited. The work on it started in November 2017 and completed in November 2022.
{{/usCountry}}The international Yoga centre with allied facilities started taking roots in November 2017. The project was implemented by National Projects Construction Corporation Limited. The work on it started in November 2017 and completed in November 2022.
{{/usCountry}}It has a tourist facilitation centre, dining centre, cafeteria, eco lodge huts with solariums integrated into cottage design, eight meditation enclaves in apple orchard; helipad, ambulance shed, fire tender station, wind vane, landscapes, parking area with gender based toilets, security check posts, guard rooms, sewage treatment plant, water treatment plant, battery operated cars and signages.
Nineteen solar power plants of 100 KW each, 20 lighting inclusive of solar lighting and many other allied facilities are part of the project. Lush green Deodar forests on the banks of Tawi River and serenity provide perfect ambience to the Yoga centre. The Ashram at Mantalai is spread over 1,008 kanals of land.
It may be stated here that the then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had conceived the project in 2015 and land for the project was handed over in November 2017 by the then PDP-BJP government.
