Eyeing revenue, HP govt plans to lease out Hotel Wildflower Hall

Nestled in the picturesque area of Himachal, Hotel Wildflower Hall will again be up for grabs with the state government planning to lease it out again.

- Shailee Dogra

SHIMLA: Himachal had managed to get possession of the prestigious property back in January last year after two decades of legal battle. Paving the way for this, the state cabinet in its meeting held under the chairmanship of chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday had approved hiring of a consultant company to lease out the property.

"The cabinet had approved hiring a company to work out further modalities. The company will decide on the best way to lease out the property, which would be soon given on lease to the highest bidder," said industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan. Ever since getting back possession of the prized property, the state government has been exploring options to find a suitable partner to run the luxury hotel, which will help in revenue generation for the state facing fiscal constraints.

It was in June 2023, Sukhu had ordered the execution of a 2005 arbitration award under which the Wildflower Hall property, spread over 100 hectares, including a pristine deodar forest, was to be taken over by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC).

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