The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB), which allocated land in June 2023 for a one-year pilot project in adventure tourism to a firm owned by Patanjali co-founder Acharya Balkrishna, has been unable to get it vacated despite it being overdue for almost 20 months, documents accessed by The Indian Express under the Right to Information Act reveal.Even as UTDB sent multiple reminders and even warnings of taking a legal recourse to the firm Rajas Aerosports and Adventure Pvt Ltd, it came to light in September 2025 that the land allocated didn’t belong to the Uttarakhand government at first place. After noticing a Request for Proposal floated by UTDB, the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department wrote to UTDB claiming ownership of the Bairagi Camp land in Haridwar.The land parcel allotted to Rajas, as per the Request For Proposal, is 1,200 metres x 200 metres. This includes an airstrip whose dimension is 1 km x 30 metres.Responding to questions, a spokesperson for Rajas Aerosports and Adventure denied encroaching upon or illegally occupying any land and said the firm is “awaiting formal clarification and a reasoned decision from the (Uttarakhand) Government”.Also Read | Ramdev aide Balkrishna gets showpiece Uttarakhand tourism project, for which 3 firms bid — all are controlled by Balkrishna“Upon receipt of formal clarification and structured resolution of the underlying issues, we shall coordinate removal of infrastructure in a timely and orderly manner,” the spokesperson said. “All investments were made only after issuance of the official Letter of Award by UTDB and in reliance upon the approvals granted thereunder. The project was undertaken strictly within the framework of such State-sanctioned approval,” he added.UTDB awards pilot project to Patanjali co-founder firm RajasOn April 29, 2023, the UTDB proposed a one-year pilot project for the development of an airstrip of 700 metres at Bairagi Camp to “test the feasibility of aerosports in Uttarakhand for new formats like gyrocopter, microlite, PPG, and small fixed-wing aircraft and exploring the possibility of linking various airstrips in interior regions”.On June 1, Rajas Aerosports and Adventure wrote to the Board, seeking permission to take up the project. On June 14, the Board charted a proposal asking Rajas to furnish information on capital investment made and work done upon completion of the project. The company was to also provide quarterly statistics regarding visits by Indian and foreign adventure tourists to the project.Story continues below this adThe pilot project was carried out with a no-objection certificate from the District Magistrate of Haridwar. The Board allotted Rs 40 lakh for 2023-24 to build temporary infrastructure; all further expenditure was to be borne by the company. As part of a profit-sharing agreement, the company would keep 90% of the profits, and the Board would get 10%.On September 4, 2024, Additional CEO of UTDB, Ashvini Pundir, wrote to Rajas stating that one year of the pilot project ended in June, but the land had not yet been returned to the department. Pundir also said that to date, the 10 per cent share of the revenue/profit derived from aero sports activities had not been made available to the office. Further, as stipulated in the agreement, Rajas had not furnished the statistics of tourists visiting for aero sports activities, the letter said.“Therefore, you are hereby directed to immediately remove the prefabricated hangar from the land situated at Bairagi Camp, Haridwar, and ensure that the land is handed back forthwith to the Tourism Department, and to provide the above-mentioned required information to the Tourism Headquarters,” he said.Rajas responded stating it had made “substantial investments exceeding Rs 8 crore” at the site by procuring gyrocopters from Germany and hot air balloons from Spain, apart from the construction of hangars. It said that they were unable to furnish the audited profit and loss statements and tourist inflow data as required because commercial operations had not yet commenced.Story continues below this ad“There have been no transactions or tourist inflows to report, which inadvertently delayed the submission of these reports,” it said. Rajas said once the runway is completed, operations will be able to proceed smoothly.“During the inspection, it was found that till date, the prefabricated hangar and other materials have not been removed by you from the said land, nor has any kind of information been provided to the office of the undersigned,” said the district tourism development officer in a letter dated September 19, 2024, and also reiterated that the one-year time period had expired, and the company should return the land to the Tourism Department. In the letter, he granted a week for clearing out, and threatened legal action.On October 7, Rajas wrote back, claiming the first gyrocopter trial in India was conducted at Bairagi Camp, and that after obtaining approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the gyrocopters were stored inside the hangar. “As we require repositioning of the gyrocopters, we will need permission from the DGCA for their shifting, and dismantling the hangar will take some time to complete,” it said, seeking a 45-day extension.On November 21, the day the extension ended, Pundir asked for the handover of the land. When the letter did not elicit a response, on November 28, the district tourism development officer wrote again, reiterating the land be handed back, “failing which legal action shall be initiated for illegal occupation/encroachment upon government property”.Story continues below this adOn December 2, 2024, Rajas wrote to Pundir that they should be given an extension of the Bairagi Camp pilot project for “5+5 years”. “If you would entrust us with the opportunity to continue this project, we stand ready to launch free-flight hot air balloon operations from Bairagi Camp,” it wrote. It said the uncertainty regarding their previous communications had brought all activities, including dismantling, to a standstill.When The Indian Express visited the spot, the hangar housing gyrocopters was shut, but the metal structure had not been dismantled. The firm had deployed two security guards to oversee the equipment.Uttarakhand tourism secretary Dhiraj Garbyal, adventure sports officer Seema Nautiyal and additional secretary Abhishek Ruhela refused to comment despite repeated attempts.Uttar Pradesh stakes claim to land allotted by UTDB to RajasStory continues below this adBefore the pilot came to an end, UTDB floated a tender for the project on March 16, 2024. In June 2025, two bidders, Camping Retreats of India Pvt Ltd and Rajas Aerosports and Adventures Pvt Ltd, were considered, but the former was found non-compliant. With Rajas being the sole bidder remaining, the tender committee recommended floating a fresh tender.The second RFP was prepared in September 2025, and the tender was floated again. This time, five companies expressed interest, of which four requested that MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) be allowed to participate to encourage wider competition, relaxation of concession cost, and relaxation of the paid-up capital (of Rs 1 crore at the time of the bid). The fifth company, Rajas, sought that the duration of the project be 90 years instead of 40 years to ensure recovery of investments and sustainable operations and that the land parcel size be increased to include a 1,500-metre runway.The department conducted pre-bid meetings with various firms on September 11, 2025.But on September 30, the UTDB received a letter from the Irrigation Department of the Uttar Pradesh government, which upon noticing the advertisement on the e-procurement portal said it owns the land at Bairagi Camp and that it comes under the control of the Upper Division Ganga Canal, Roorkee.Story continues below this ad“It forms part of the Kumbh Mela land and the floodplain area of the Ganga river. This land is reserved for Kumbh Mela, Kanwar Mela, and other Ganga bathing festivals, and falls under the provisions of the Hon’ble National Green Tribunal (NGT). Any activity on this land without the permission of the Government of Uttar Pradesh is illegal,” it said.“In view of the above, and to ensure that the work is planned and implemented in a proper and lawful manner, you are requested to immediately cancel the invitation for proposals and ensure that no activity is carried out on Kumbh Mela land without obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Failure to comply will necessitate legal action,” it said.Soon after, on October 9, the Director of Infrastructure at UTDB wrote to the Haridwar DM seeking clarity on the ownership of the land. In less than a month, on November 6, a note was issued on the directions of the UTDB CEO that the tender be cancelled “until the No Objection Certificate (NOC) regarding the land of the identified/proposed site is obtained from the Uttarakhand Irrigation Department or the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department”.On December 9, instructions were issued to cancel the tender.At the site, the guards said the 800-metre runway is yet to be concretised, with security guards saying the to-and-fro had delayed the process.Story continues below this adWhen contacted, Executive Engineer Northern Division, Ganga Canal, Roorkee, belonging to UP’s irrigation department, Vikash Tyagi, said it was decided in 2021 between the Chief Ministers of the two states that the ownership of land measuring 697 hectares under the Irrigation Department in Haridwar, where Kumbh Mela is organised including the Bairagi Camp area, would remain with UP, but the authority to issue permissions for the Mela would be temporarily with Uttarakhand.“Besides, it is a regulatory zone; activities such as those proposed by the Uttarakhand government are prohibited as it is a floodplain zone. Permission is required, apart from the fact that the project needs to be viable. They didn’t get any approvals,” Tyagi said.