While the decision of Himachal Pradesh government to privatize 14 hotels run by Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC ), has been widely opposed by the opposition parties and HPTDC employees , the move has also been questioned by none other than Chairman of the HPTDC Raghubir Singh Bali .
Bali, an MLA from Nagrota Bagwan Assembly constituency has been appointed Chairman of the corporation with a Cabinet Minister’s rank in Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu led Congress government of Himachal Pradesh.
He has urged the state government to review the decision of privatizing the HPTDC properties and talking to media persons at Shimla on Friday said, “The state government should allow the corporation to conduct a feasibility report of the 14 properties before privatizing these.”
He said, ““We are bound to abide by the decision of the Cabinet but first we must be given money to renovate these properties and undertake a feasibility report as these facts were perhaps not put before the Cabinet in the meeting.”
The state government has decided to give 14 hotels on own and maintain (ONM) basis to private players as they have been incurring recurrent losses for many years.
Himachal Pradesh High some time back while hearing a petition of the corporation’s retired employees demanding their dues and the corporation showing its inability to pay their dues for cash crunch, had directed the state government to consider outsourcing the loss making units of HPTDC.
The state government had appointed former IAS officer Tarun Shridhar to review the working of the corporation, who had reportedly suggested privatizing loss making units .
The state has recently decided to privatize Hotel Hill Top, Swarghat, Hotel Lakeview, Bilaspur, Hotel Bhagal, Darlaghat, Wayside Amenity, Bhararighat, Hotel Mamleshwar, Chindi, Hotel Apple Blossom, Fagu, Hotel Shiwalik, and Parwanoo. Hotel Giriganga, Kharapathar, Hotel Chanshal, Rohru, Tourist Inn, Rajgarh, Hotel Sarvari, Kullu, Hotel Old Roscommon, Kasauli, . Kashmir House, Dharamshala and Hotel Uhl, JoginderNagar.
The Chairman and HPTDC employees have urged the state government to provide funds for renovating properties and running the properties.
