Homestay owner, 9 from Delhi booked

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, April 3

Dharampur police today registered an FIR under sections 188, 269 and 270 of the IPC against a home stay owner and nine other Delhi residents for staying at a homestay, Silvan Villa, near Dharampur despite state government directions against stay of outsiders in hotels and homestay accommodations. The sections carry a sentence up to two years and a fine.

DSP Parwanoo, Yogesh Rolta, while confirming the news, said the case pertains to disobedience of the government orders, showing negligence and malignantly doing an act which is likely to spread an infection. He said he visited the homestay today and verified the details pertaining to the stay of Rajiv Kapoor and his family along with their five servants.

He said investigations showed that nine persons — Rajiv Kapoor, his wife Sweety Kapoor and their 25-year old son and 20-year old daughter along with two drivers, two maids and a cook — came to stay at a homestay accommodation near Dharampur on March 18 from Delhi. Kapoor is a resident of Janakpuri area of Delhi.

Rolta said a police team had visited this home stay on March 21 and had directed the inmates not to come out and stay within the campus as a precaution. On March 23 they were, however, directed to vacate the premises after issuance of orders by the state government as all tourists staying in the hotels and homestays were directed to return back but these orders were not complied with by the Kapoor family. Even the homestay owner failed to abide by the state government orders and allowed these people to stay there.

Rolta said the homestay owner, Vishal Goyal, was a Panchkula resident and the double-storey homestay was looked after by caretakers appointed by him.

The case has brought into focus laxity of the local administration in ensuring that such homestays were operational in violation of the government directions.

Notably, Rajiv Kapoor’s parents were among four families staying at the guest house of the helmet company at Barotiwala who are under quarantine following the death of a lady due to Covid-19 at the PGI Chandigarh today.

Orders not complied with

• A police team had visited the homestay on March 21 and directed the inmates not to come out and stay within the campus.
• On March 23 they were directed to vacate the premises after orders were issued by the state government that directed all tourists staying in the hotels and homestays to return but these orders were not complied with by the Kapoor family.
• Even the homestay owner failed to abide by the state government orders and allowed these people to stay there.

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