Himachal HC orders closure of 18 HPTDC loss making prime hotels

22 Nov 2024 CW Team

Observing that the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation(HPTDC) has failed to come up with any convincing and practical measures to augment its resources despite repeated court orders, the Himachal Pradesh high court ordered closure of 18 loss making prime hotels of the corporation, including The Palace Hotel in Chail, from November 25 across the state. During the resumed hearing of a petition highlighting non-release of the retiral benefits to pensioners by the HPTDC on Tuesday, Justice Ajay Mohan Goel observed, “In fact, when this court firstly took up the issue and passed a detailed order on 17.09.2024, it expected the respondents to come up with something cogent and concrete, so as to augment the resources of the Tourism Development Corporation, but…..not even a small pebble has been moved/turned by the Tourism Development Corporation in said direction.” Justice Goel, therefore, directed closure of these 18 hotels in order to ensure that public resources are not wasted by the corporation in the upkeep of these “white elephants” as running of these properties is apparently not financially viable. The court further ordered that the managing director of the HPTDC shall be personally responsible to ensure the enforcement of this order. It has been directed that the skeletal staff which is necessary for the upkeep of these 18 hotels be retained in the premises and the corporation shall be at liberty to transfer its remaining employees so that its need in other places are duly met. In its scathing order, the high court also directed the corporation’s managing director to furnish a list of those superannuated employees who belong to Class-IV category and those employees who are no more in the world, so that amount that has been generated from the dues by the corporation can be ordered to be released in their favour. The court also directed that the corporation shall also apprise the court that how much more amount has been received from the dues which are payable by the government and private entities to the corporation.

Infrastructure Urban

06 Jul 2026

ABS Marine Sees CRISIL Credit Rating Upgrade

ABS Marine Services has secured an upgrade to its long term and short term credit ratings from CRISIL, reflecting improved profitability and revenue growth through long term contracts. CRISIL moved the long term rating from BBB+/Stable to A-/Stable and revised the short term rating from A2 to A2+. The action signals strengthened financial metrics and operational resilience. The company benefited from durable client relationships with firms such as ONGC and Schlumberger. The rating decision followed stronger cash flows and an enlarged bank loan facility, which increased from Rs 3,705 million (m..

Project BRAHMANK Marks 16 Years Of Strategic Roads In Arunachal

Project BRAHMANK is marking 16 years of work to establish strategic road and bridge links across Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining and developing 811 kilometres of roads and nearly 86 bridges that range from small culverts to large steel and arch bridges. These transport links are described as critical for ensuring year-round movement of defence personnel, equipment and essential supplies while improving everyday travel for people in remote villages. The project balances national security requirements with regional development by focusing on reliable access in challenging terrain. Notable enginee..

Longleng CSOs Give One Week Ultimatum Over Two-Lane Highway

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Longleng district have demanded immediate restoration of the deteriorating Changtongya–Longleng two-lane road and sought a detailed status report on the stalled construction within one week. The demand followed a consultative meeting convened under the Phom Peoples' Council (PPC) to discuss welfare and development concerns. PPC president YB Angam Phom said prolonged non-maintenance had caused hardship to commuters and affected transportation, local commerce and the district's development. The meeting urged authorities to undertake immediate restoration a..