The State-run Oushadhi, a public-sector Ayurvedic drug-manufacturing company, has submitted a proposal to the Kerala government seeking its permission to take over the Salagramam ashram (mutt) owned by Swami Sandeepananda Giri, head of the School of Bhagavad Gita, at Kundamankadavu in Thiruvananthapuram for developing it as a medical wellness centre.
The public sector company has zeroed in on the property spread over 18,000 sq ft at 73 cents on the bank of Karamana River after holding a search for an ideal location in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts.
According to the proposal accessed by The Hindu, the property is an ideal one situated at a scenic spot and constructed using environment-friendly materials in line with traditional architecture. The ashram can be developed as an advanced medi-wellness centre if it gets possession of the building, said the proposal signed by Dr. T.K. Hrideek, managing director of Oushadhi.
Though the proposal was submitted before the government, no feasibility study was carried nor was any detailed project report (DPR) prepared, according to sources. Oushadhi had started a Panchakarma hospital in Thiruvananthapuram in 2004, but it was closed down just two years later after it had become a financial liability for the company.
Speaking to The Hindu, Sobhana George, chairperson of Oushadhi, said it had decided to capitalise on the growing demand for spiritual and wellness tourism. “The experience of running the Panchakarma hospital in Thrissur for the past 18 years has emboldened Oushadhi to take up the new venture,” she said.
“It is the Revenue and Public works departments that should hold the valuation of land and building. The board meeting to be held on Friday will take a final call on this matter,” she added.
The ashram was attacked in 2018 after Swami Sandeepananda Giri reportedly supported the Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry of women of menstruating age to the Sabarimala temple. The attacker who firebombed the ashram had left behind a funeral wreath.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made a visit to the ashram in the aftermath of the attack and promised a speedy investigation. The CPI(M) blamed Sangh Parivar forces opposed to the entry of women to Sabarimala for the arson. However, the probe reached a dead end after the police pleaded inability to zero in on the provenance of the wreath.
The incident triggered speculation that the crime was an inside job to put the Save Sabarimala campaigners on the backfoot.
