BJP walks out over nod to Barog hotel

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 9

The BJP staged a walkout from the House over permission granted by the government under Section 118 of the Land Tenancy Act to Korinns hotel at Barog in Solan district.

The matter came up in response to a query raised by BJP MLA Mahinder Singh regarding the number of permissions given by the government under Section 118 of the Act in the last two years.

The Minister for Health and Revenue informed the House that in the last two years, the government had given permission in 240 cases.

Mahinder Singh said Korinns hotel in Barog was constructed with permission under Section 118. The government regularised the illegal property after imposing a fine of just Rs 2 lakh. He asked as to why this special privilege was extended to the hotel owner. He said in another case, a person, Tenzin, was also granted permission to convert a office and residence into a hospital.

Kaul Singh, minister, said in both cases, the Cabinet was competent to grant approval under Section 118. Korinns hotel was owned by a woman and the Cabinet had decided in her favour on compassionate grounds. The permission to Tenzin had been given for a noble cause, he said.

Leader of the Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal said in case of Korinns hotel, the Congress government in 2007 directed the then Deputy Commissioner, Solan, to compound the offence committed by the owner by imposing a penalty of Rs 2 lakh.

The DC, however, refused to do so as there was no such provision under the rules.

After the BJP came to power, the order was passed to vest the property in the government. The woman went up till the Supreme Court but failed to get any relief. However, now the government had regularised the hotel by giving permission under Section 118.

“What compassionate grounds the state government had while giving the permission and how many more women have been given benefit under such ground,” Dhumal said.

To this, Kaul Singh said the Cabinet had acted in its wisdom and granted the permission.

Rajiv Sehgal, BJP MLA from Solan, said the hotel was causing loss to the Tourism Department hotel, Pine Wood. Kaul Singh said the land on which the hotel was raised was private and there was no public interest involved in it.

After this, the Opposition walked out of the House raising slogans “Himachal on sale”.

Kaul Singh later alleged that the Opposition was creating a fuss over the permission to a single hotel whereas during its previous stint in power, the BJP government gave permission to private universities to buy thousands of acres.

Dhumal later, while talking to newsmen, said the hotel case illustrated the misuse of power Under 118 by the government. He said the owner of hotel initially applied for permission under Section 118 in 1981. However, she could not get the permission due to objections raised by various officials. In 1991, a hotel was raised with the permission.

Revenue officials filed a case of violation against the owner. She also moved court. However, her pleas were rejected both by the High Court and the Supreme Court. The land was vest in the government in 2005. Despite that, the previous Congress government ordered the then DC to regularise the land after imposing a fine of Rs 2 lakh.

If the BJP was voted to power, it would again vest the property in the government, he said.