Construction work in full swing at the site for meditation-cum-research centre at Dhar village in Morni’s Thandog block. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh)
PARMATMA KUNJ – a meditation-cum-research centre – is coming up on a 35-bigha plot (approximately 14 acres) in the picturesque hilltop of Dhar village in Morni tehsil, about 60 kms from here. Vishwa Hindu Parishad, affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), shall be taking over this centre soon after its completion to teach Vedas, Puranas and other religious texts to its workers and pracharaks and workers of the organisation. The construction is likely to be completed by this year-end.
Last year, the Delhi-based M2K Foundation entered into sale deeds with 27 villagers and purchased the land at the rate of Rs 3 lakh per bigha. A total of Rs 1.05 crore was paid to the villagers.
Construction activity is on in full swing these days and a two-storey library is the first one to be completed as part of the multistorey Parmatma Kunj complex.
VHP’s International Organisation general secretary Dinesh Chandra inaugurated the construction work last October. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has visited the construction site at least twice. These days, PWD (Building and Roads) technical adviser, Vishal Seth, is monitoring the construction work at the site.
“Vishal Seth is only a technical adviser on contract basis and not a regular employee of the government,” a senior PWD officer told Chandigarh Newsline.
“The land was purchased by the M2K Foundation for the construction of a meditation-cum-research centre, which is named Parmatma Kunj. We made a total payment of Rs 1.05 crore through bank drafts. Dinesh Chandra named the centre Parmatma Kunj,” Seth told Chandigarh Newsline.
“Pracharaks, full-time voluntarily workers of VHP, RSS and people from religious institutions shall be staying at this centre and study Vedas, Puranas, other religious texts and also learn meditation. It will be open to all religious-minded people. I am monitoring the construction work because I live in nearby Panchkula. People of the M2K Foundation are based in Delhi and thus it is not possible for them to visit the construction site regularly. This particular place was selected as it is located away from the noisy townships,” added Seth.
Vikas Aggarwal, president of the M2K Foundation, said, “We are working in the field of development of society. Our foundation is attached to several organisations, including VHP. Our foundation works in the field of health services, education and religion. We purchased this land from the local villagers and it is registered in the name of M2K Foundation. Parmatma Kunj will be a spiritual centre open to all people. This is for a social purpose and this land will never be used for commercial activities. The foundation will maintain the complex.”
The area, where the complex is coming up now, was once neglected due to its remote location. But, ever since the construction of Parmatma Kunj commenced, land prices in the village have increased by at least 60 per cent. Massive construction activity is going on at the site. Construction material is reaching the site in bulk on a daily basis. Around 80 workers, including masons, labourers, welders, etc., are working round the clock to expeditiously complete five blocks of the proposed Parmatma Kunj.
The residents of nearby villages, however, call it a “building that is being constructed by RSS”. Gopal Rana, a shopkeeper on the road leading to Dhar village, told Newsline, “That building is being constructed by RSS people.”
Villagers told Newsline, “Before this land was sold to VHP, 35 bighas were owned by 27 men of two families, including one represented by a former sarpanch of Thandog panchayat, Khem Raj. They collectively sold this land to the RSS representatives. Now, the land is registered in the name of an institute not in the name of an individual.”
“We sold the land to the RSS people for Rs 3 lakh per bigha. Around 20 bighas belonged to my family members, including my three younger brothers and their children. We received the cost of our land through bank cheques and in cash, too. The sale deed was registered at the local tehsil in Morni. It was not a completely agricultural land. We had stopped irrigating this land because wild animals in this area had been destroying our crops,” Khem Raj told Newsline.
The ongoing construction work has also proved beneficial for the adjoining villages. “Earlier, there was no road or electricity. Now, a motorable road along with adequate supply of electricity has reached this area. The road going to this under-construction site also connects the three adjoining villages of Kohlan, Thana and Badiyal. Senior RSS functionaries regularly visit the site and keep a close watch on the progress of construction work,” said a man, who introduced himself as “supervisor” at the construction site, but did not wish to be named.
A Panchkula-based civil contractor, Varinder Rai, has the contract of building the centre. He also refused to comment.