Cash-hit HP plans to lease century-old property

THE Himachal Pradesh government is planning to lease the century-old Hotel Wildflower Hall, located about 12 kilometers from Shimla.

- HARPREET BAJWA @Chandigarh

The property, which spans 100 acres in the midst of a dense deodar forest, was originally constructed by Lord Kitchener in 1902 during the British Raj.

After a two-decade-long legal battle, the state government regained possession of this prestigious property in January 2024. In a cabinet meeting held on Saturday, the state government approved the hiring of a consulting firm to facilitate the leasing of the property.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu ordered the execution of a 2005 arbitration award, which held that the Wildflower Hall, along with the adjacent deodar forest, be handed over to the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) in June 2023.