Junagadh City News- Bhavnath Temple(Mandir),Girnar Taleti

Junagadh trust plays by the rule, hands over govt land without fuss.

In a unique incident, a huge piece of government land under private occupation was returned to the rightful owner in Junagadh without any hue and cry.

The credit for this goes to Junagadh Collector Ashwini Kumar and Rupayatan Trust’s chairman Hemant Nanawati. When demanded by the district administration, the trust willingly returned the seven-acre plot to the state government.

The said land is located in Bhavnath Mandir area at the foot of the Girnar Mountain and surrounded by the Gir sanctuary.

The state government has adopted a plan to develop Bhavnath Mandir Area, which hosts two major melas every year, as a pilgrimage and tourist site.

To accommodate lakhs of visitors, it was deemed necessary to spare more land for the mela.

The administration felt the probability of any untoward incident during the gathering and decided to adopt preventive measures.

Ashwini Kumar said: “Earlier, the district administration had freed nearly seven hectares of government land from encroachment. It was decided to provide alternate space to some 200 residents of the area. Therefore, it became imperative to ask the land back from Rupayatan Trust. The trust responded in a positive manner and willingly handed over the plot. We have already implemented our plan and divided the land into nearly 200 plots, which will be allotted to the 200 families. The rehabilitation will be completed by the end of this month.”

Hemant Nanawati said: “Instead of indulging in a legal battle, the trustees took a positive stand and decided to handover the land.

Our policy is clear — we support development and constructive work. So, the trustees unanimously passed a resolution in response to the collector’s letter. Our trust is committed to the development of Bhavnath area, so we extended support to the district administration and the entire procedure was completed within two months without any hurdles.”

Earlier, in 1991, the government had allotted 40 hectares of land to the Rupayatan Trust for educational purpose.