New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday said the state government will fight the Wildflower Hall case both legally and politically and ensure that there is no loss on bookings made by guests staying at the luxury hotel, news agency ANI reported.
Earlier on Saturday, the Himachal Pradesh High Court ordered the state government to take possession of the hotel, but hours later stayed the restoration until further orders.
The High Court stayed the implementation of the order and said, “The respondent State shall not interfere in the daily management and occupation of the hotel.”
“It is the duty of the state government to ensure that state property is not damaged. We have been fighting the case for 22 years. The court had given the decision in our favor. Yesterday morning, we took possession of it. After that, the court held a hearing and stayed our judgment order,” news agency ANI quoted CM Sukhu as saying.
#Watch , On Hotel Wildflower Hall case, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu says, “…It is the duty of the state government to ensure that state property is not damaged. We have been fighting the case for 22 years… The court had said Gave a decision in our favor. Yesterday… pic.twitter.com/yFwTTqYePc
– ANI (@ANI) 19 November 2023
“We will fight it both legally and politically. There will be no loss to the bookings of guests staying at Hotel Wildflower Hall. This is state property. We did not get the lease money. When we have an agreement, it is our right.
It should be noted that Wildflower Hall, which was originally owned by Lord Kitchener, was run by Himachal Tourism until a massive fire destroyed the luxury hotel in 1993.
It was later handed over to East India Hotels Limited, the flagship company of the Oberoi Group, to be run as a joint venture. However, the Himachal government terminated the agreement in 2002 and both parties have been engaged in litigation since then.
