Shimla: Himachal Govt to rope in big hospitality group to run Hotel Wildflower Hall

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 21

Having won the decades-old legal fight to get back the British era Hotel Wildflower Hall back from the East India Hotels Ltd (EIHL), the Himachal Government is keen to rope in big hospitality group to run the prime property.

All options open: Sukhu

All options are open before us. We will explore the possibility of getting maximum possible revenue from this property, which will eventually be handed back to the Himachal government after a year. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Chief Minister

An indication to this effect was given by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu today. “We will explore the possibility of getting maximum possible revenue from this property, which will eventually be handed back to the Himachal government after a year,” Sukhu said here today.

“Our government remains committed to protect the interests of Himachal and ensure that the government gets maximum revenue from this property,” he remarked.

It is learnt that the government is in talks with top hospitality players to take over the running of the hotel, once it is handed back. It is only yesterday that the Supreme Court, through its verdict, put an end to the legal battle over ownership of the heritage property by ordering handing back of the property to the Himachal government after a year.

The CM said the court order was outcome of the meticulous pleading of the case before the High Court and well as the Supreme Court. The outcome of this verdict reflects the government’s commitment to protect the interests of Himachal, he added.

Built by Lord Kitchener in 1902, Hotel Wildflower Hall was being run as a high-end hotel by HPTDC before it was gutted in a devastating fire in 1993. It was then that the state government floated global tenders for running it as a five-star property. It was handed over to the EIHL for being run by way of a joint venture, ‘Mashobra Resorts Limited’.

With irritants cropping up every now and then, the government terminated the agreement on March 6, 2002 on grounds of “breach of terms”. What followed was a legal battle and the Arbitrator gave an award in favour of the Himachal and later the HC and Supreme Court verdict also went against the EIHL.

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