Bhubaneswar: Following a petition challenging the diversion of forest land, the Odisha government has shifted a proposed 100-bed yoga and naturopathy hospital and research institute from a densely vegetated site to an alternative location in Khordha district.
This decision would spare thousands of trees, the National Green Tribunal was informed on Tuesday.
The Central Research Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy, whose foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conferencing in October 2024, was originally slated for a 20-acre plot. Although classified as ‘gochar’ or grazing land rather than forest land, joint verification by revenue and forest officials revealed dense vegetation averaging over 3,300 trees per hectare. Recognising that the site’s dense tree canopy could trigger restrictions under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the state administration opted to shift the project to avoid extensive deforestation. The original location also fell within the eco-sensitive zone of the Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary.
In an affidavit submitted to the NGT’s east zone bench, Khordha Collector Amrit Ruturaj stated that 15 acres of government land at Alkar under Jatni tehsil has been identified and handed over to the Union Ministry of Ayush for the Central Research Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy. The site-selection proposal received approval in February 2026, followed by the sanction of advance possession in April, culminating in the formal transfer of the plot.
The facility, planned under the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy, is intended to treat chronic diseases and will feature a 100-bed hospital, a state-of-the-art yoga hall and a research laboratory. It is set to become the third such institute in the country after those in Karnataka and Haryana, with a sanctioned budget of around Rs 94.73 crore.
Environmentalists and petitioners Hazari Dehuri and Hrudananda Kodamsingh, both residents of the area, welcomed the move, with legal counsel noting that the decision successfully averts the felling of nearly 26,000 trees while allowing the flagship Ayush healthcare project to proceed.
Satisfied with the state government’s proactive measures and the formal handover of the new land, the bench comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, A Senthil Vel, and Ishwar Singh officially closed the proceedings, the TOI reported.
