Bhubaneswar, August 31: Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati on Saturday requested Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhi to direct the state government to return land allocated to the Anil Agarwal Foundation for the Vedant University project in Puri to its owners.
During the zero hour, Bahinipati highlighted that the Anil Agarwal Foundation had sought 15,000 acres of land in 2006 for the establishment of the university. He accused the BJD-BJP coalition government of agreeing to provide 10,000 hectares, including land from Amrutamohani, which is associated with Lord Jagannath, for the university.
In 2010, the Orissa High Court ruled that the land acquisition for the Vedant project was illegal and ordered its return to the original owners. Despite this, the state government and the Anil Agarwal Foundation appealed the decision in the Supreme Court, which upheld the High Court's ruling in 2023, Bahinipati said.
Bahinipati urged that, following the Supreme Court's decision, the acquired land should be returned to the Jagannath Temple Trust and the original landowners. He appealed to the Speaker to issue a ruling reflecting the sentiments of the people of Odisha. The Speaker responded that she would consider the matter.
