Maha okays proposal for guesthouse in UT

Mumbai/Srinagar, March 14

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The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved a proposal to construct a Maharashtra Bhawan in Jammu and Kashmir, clearing the decks for the first state-run guesthouse in the Valley since the abrogation of Article 370.

The UT administration’s Revenue Department has identified about 2.5 acres in the Ichgam area of Budgam district, which is close to the Srinagar airport, for the guesthouse, officials said on Thursday.

The sanction was accorded after the Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday approved the purchase of 2.5 acres to construct the guesthouse. The approval is subject to the payment of Rs 8.16 crore.

The construction of the guesthouse was proposed in the Maharashtra budget during the previous session of the Assembly.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had last year requested Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for a land parcel to construct a Maharashtra Bhawan to provide accommodations and facilities for tourists and officials from the state visiting the Valley.

The Maharashtra Government said in a statement that the Public Works Department had drafted a proposal to acquire the 2.5 acres for Rs 8.16 crore. The government added that the guesthouse would offer affordable accommodation for tourists visiting the Valley.

The Maharashtra Government has allocated Rs 77 crore for constructing two state guesthouses in Kashmir and Ayodhya.