PIL against commercialisation of Town Hall building disposed of
The HP High Court yesterday disposed of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against the commercialising the heritage Town Hall Building, Shimla by converting it into high end cafe.
During the course of hearing, the petitioner has withdrawn the PIL. The matter was listed before a division bench comprising Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Rakesh Kainthla. After arguing the matter for some time the petitioner has sought permission from the court to withdraw the PIL. While granting the permission the court disposed of the petition.
The Public interest litigation was field by one Abhimanyu Rathor alleging therein that the MC, Shimla has allowed conversion of this heritage property into high-end Café in gross violation of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, TCP Act, 1978, MC Act, 1994 and the provisions of Shimla Interim Development Plan.
It is pertinent to mention here that on January, 10, 2024, the High Court had restrained the private operator from running a food court in the iconic building of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, namely the Town Hall, situated on the Mall Road.
