Express RTI: Uttarakhand finance dept questioned Beatles ashram revamp by Bimal Patel firm, state govt gave go-ahead

While the Finance department did come around to clearing the project, it recommended obtaining a priori the approval of the Forest department, and asked the Tourism department to ensure the rate reasonableness and the fees paid to the company, the documents showed.

The Beatles during their stay at the ashram in 1968.

Following rounds of discussion, the Uttarakhand Cabinet approved hiring HCP as the consultant on August 3, 2023. The Beatles ashram is situated inside the Rajaji National Park in Rishikesh and was visited by the British band in 1968.

While the cost of the consultancy is Rs 1.9 crore for the master plan lump sum and a fee of 4.75 per cent of the actual cost of the project for supervision support, Rs 15 lakh was levied for a one-day workshop, site visit, and broad design framework report. This was borne by the Tourism department, while the cost for the actual project will be borne by the Forest department.

The complex has nearly 25 buildings, of which 12 will be revamped in the upcoming project. The actual project cost is over Rs 98 crore. The project will primarily involve the retrofitting of structures by strengthening the reinforced concrete beams and slabs.

When contacted, Anand Patel, who helms the project at HCP, said that they received a request from the Tourism department in late 2021. “We declined it then because the architectural intent was unclear. We visited the site twice or thrice, and in 2023 again, they requested and we submitted a proposal,” Patel said.

On the conditions set by the Finance department, Patel said he was unaware. “The conditions by the Forest department were factored in, and our agenda is to make the buildings safe and improve awareness on yoga, art, forest, and wildlife of the area,” he said.

Ved Bhawan, the venue for unplugged music. (Express Photo)

The bone of contention between the Finance and Tourism departments was over Rule 59 of Chapter 4 of the Uttarakhand Procurement Rules, 2017. This rule states that services from a single-source consultant can be obtained only after due justification is recorded and approval is obtained from the competent authority. For projects exceeding Rs 25 lakh, approvals from the administrative department and the finance department are mandatory.

In giving the approval, then finance secretary, Dilip Jawalkar, said in his June 20, 2023, letter that the consultancy fees should be justified on the basis of the firm’s agreements with other governments, wherein the same firm has secured the work through a competitive process. He also said that the department should justify the rate reasonableness based on a market survey and after comparison with the rates discovered through a bidding process for similar or comparable assignments for the Uttarakhand government.

“The department should get a formal consent from the Forest department before taking the proposal before the Cabinet, since the general impression is that the Forest department keeps changing its decisions and fails to honour its commitments,” he said.

The gallery with photos of the Beatles taken by Paul Saltzman, a Canadian filmmaker and television producer, at Chaurasi Kutiya. (Express photo by Leena Misra)

One of the officers in charge of the consultancy process, Satish Bahuguna, said that the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board was not aware of the “opinion” of the finance department on the matter, and whether the market survey suggested was conducted. “This is the opinion of the department. If it goes to the cabinet and approval is given, the decision stands over any suggestions,” he said.

Jawalkar told The Indian Express that their responsibility is to “give advice on the file of the department”. “What department does subsequently is not in our purview,” he said.

The then tourism secretary, Sachin Kurve, did not respond to calls and messages seeking a comment.