35 McLeodganj hotels under lens

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, May 24

In the wake of the Himachal High Court orders, the Municipal Corporation has started inspecting the structures of 35 approved hotels in upper Dharamsala region.

Earlier, water and power connections of at least 140 unapproved hotels in the region were snapped.

A team of civic body officials, led by Assistant Commissioner, Dharamsala, Sukhdev Singh on Thursday started the exercise of measuring the dimensions of the approved hotels.

Sukhdev Singh said they were verifying the facts given by some local residents in a complaint to the acting Chief Justice of the Himachal High Court, Sanjay Karol.

The complainants alleged that several hotels in the region had got approvals while some were getting them renewed despite “gross irregularities”.

They alleged that there were glaring irregularities in the structures of these hotels. The authorities concerned were adopting a pick-and-choose policy and targeting only those hotels which did not have approvals. However, hotels that had committed irregularities were being ignored, they added.

The complainants have also named three officials in the letter.

They alleged that Surya, one of the biggest hotels in McLeodganj, had 54 rooms, but no parking area. The area that was earmarked as a parking lot in the hotel map had been converted into commercial shops, they alleged.

Other hotels named in the complaint are Villa Inn, Hotel Vaikundh, Hotel Mount View, Mcleo Restaurant, Friends Corner, Spring Valley Resort, Hotel Bhagsu Heights, Triund Heights, Akash Deep, Ekant Lodge, Chaya Guest House, Sood Guest House, Ashoka Restaurant, Black Magic, Hotel Green Wood, Hotel Lahasa, Krishna Guest House, Hotel M, Arjun House, Gandhi Paradise, Him Queen, Pehalwan Dhabha, Holiday Home, Sai Cottage, Verma House, Hotel Star Wood, Khana Nirwana Building, Building of Tajinder Singh on the temple road, Bella Heights, Welcome House, Gandhi House, Pink House, Rose Wood Inn, RV Inn and Hotel Inclover. The complainants alleged that at the time of map approval, most of the hotels had earmarked a separate parking lot. However, the area was later converted into commercial shops. They alleged many hotels had come up in green belts as per the Town and Country Planning maps.

The corporation authorities said they were verifying the facts given in the complaint and would submit a report to the High Court soon.

HC orders

• Following a complaint by some local residents, the Himachal High Court has directed the civic body to inspect the structures of 35 approved hotels in upper Dharamsala region. 
• The residents, in a letter to acting Chief Justice of the Himachal High Court Sanjay Karol,  alleged that there were glaring irregularities in the structures of these hotels. 
• The complainants alleged that at the time of map approval, most of the hotels had earmarked a separate parking lot. However, the area was later converted into commercial shops, which were further sold out