The Himachal Pradesh High Court yesterday ordered for the closure of 16 properties of the HP Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) with effect from November 25, 2024.

As per the order, the properties includes, The Palace Hotel, Chail; Hotel Geetanjali, Dalhousie; Hotel Baghal, Darlaghat; Hotel Dhauladhar, Dharamsala; Hotel Kunal, Dharamsala, Hotel Kashmir House, Dharamsala; Hotel Apple Blossom, Fagu; Hotel Chanderbhaga, Keylong; Hotel Devdar, Khajiar; Hotel Giriganga, Kharapatthar; Hotel Meghdoot, Kiarighat; Hotel Sarvari, Kullu; Hotel Log Huts, Manali; Hotel Hadimba Cottage, Manali; Hotel Kunzum, Manali; Hotel Bhagsu, McLeodganj; Hotel The Castle, Naggar; and Hotel Shivalik, Parwanoo.

While passing this direction, Justice Ajay Mohan Goel directed the Managing Director of the Tourism Development Corporation would be personally responsible to ensure the enforcement of this order.

The court further ordered that the skeletal staff which is necessary for the upkeep of the property be retained on the premises of the properties which have been named hereinabove and the Tourism Development Corporation would be at liberty to transfer the remaining of its employees so that its need in other places.

While passing this order, the court observed that “as running of these properties is apparently not financially viable as of now and in order to ensure that public resources are not wasted by the Tourism Development Corporation in the upkeep of these white elephants.”
The court passed this order after perusing the occupancy position of the 56 hotels being currently run by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation as from the month of January to December, 2022, 2023 and till October, 2024.

After perusing the same, the court observed that “A perusal of the occupancy position, which is taken on record, demonstrates that the things are much more dismal than what was being apprehended by the court.”

The court further observed that “to give a few illustrations, the Hotel Pinewood of HPTDC at Badog, which has 30 rooms, had 40.02 per cent occupancy in the year 2022, 31.61 per cent in the year 2023 and 36.84 per cent in the year 2024.

Similarly, the Palace Hotel, Chail, Solan district, which comprises of 50 rooms, had occupancy of 28.39 per cent in the year 2022, 24.42 per cent in the year 2023 and 26.62 per cent in the year 2024. This court would only be referring to those hotels which in the course of the arguments before this court were claimed to be the flagship hotels of the Tourism Development Corporation.”

It further observed that “the hotels in terms of occupancy position, which have occupancy of more than 50 per cent are Hotel Hamir, Hamirpur; Hotel Jwalaji, Jawalamukhi; Hotel Ros Common (Old), Kasauli; Hotel Tourist Inn, Rewalsar; The Suket, Sundernagar; and Himachal Bhawan, Chandigarh.”

Justice Ajay Mohan Goel further observed that “the above clearly demonstrates that the Tourism Development Corporation has not been able to utilize its properties to earn profit therefrom.

The continuation of the functioning of these properties but natural is nothing but a burden on the exchequer of the state and the court can take judicial notice of the fact that there is a financial crunch which is daily being propagated by the state in the matters being listed before the Court involving finances.”

The court further directed the Managing Director of Tourism Development Corporation to file a compliance affidavit qua implementation of the order that has been passed by the court today and also 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 that have been received by the Tourism Development Corporation can be ordered to be released in favour of the retired employees and family members of deceased employees.

The court passed this order on a petition filed by the ex-employee of the HPTDC that the corporation is not paying the retiral benefits to its employee due to its poor financial condition. After hearing the matter, the court listed the same for compliance on December 3.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said the judiciary, while passing orders like the attachment of Himachal Bhawan in Delhi, must bear in mind under what rules such orders are being passed.

“Like the state government is caretaker of all its properties like Himachal Bhawan, the officials and judges sitting in the judiciary should also be its caretakers like us,” a seemingly unhappy CM said while talking to mediapersons here today.

He was reacting to the High Court order on attaching Himachal Bhawan in Delhi for failure of the state government to pay Rs 64 crore arbitration award in favour of Seli power company.

“Invariably the orders of the arbitrators are not in our favour. After depositing the arbitration money, we will file an appeal against the arbitration order,” he added. I will examine whether our case was pleaded properly by our lawyers in the court or not, said Sukhu.

Sukhu said Rs 64 crore is not a big amount for Himachal government but the case is being fought on legal grounds.

“We have paid Rs 3,000 crore arrears to employees last month, so paying Rs 64 crore is not such a big issue, but it’s a legal battle, which we are fighting,” he stated.

Sharing the details of the legal dispute, CM said Moser Baer company took up the project in 2009. “There was competitive bidding as Rs 10 lakh per MW reserve price was fixed. Mosaer Bear was allotted the project but they did not start work. The matter finally went into arbitration,” said Sukhu. Whether the projects become operational or not the upfront money has to be deposited.

He lashed out at Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur for sensationalising the issues and blowing it out of proportion.

“The BJP regime headed by Jai Ram Thakur had agreed to pay Rs 280 crore award of the arbitrator in the Brakel case, along with interest to the company. His government did no go into appeal against the arbitrator’s award and it is our government which challenged it and finally the High Court order went in favour of Himachal government,” he said.

He said the previous BJP regime was willing to pay Rs 280 crore to Brakel without contesting the award of the arbitrator, which only shows that they were willing to compromise on the state’s interest.

With the weekend bringing a noticeable increase in the tourist footfall, hoteliers in the popular hill stations of Kullu and Manali are optimistic, though they still face challenges due to the lack of snowfall.

The winter season, which usually sees a surge in the number of visitors drawn by snow activities, has not yet met the expectations of local tourism stakeholders.

Room occupancy in Manali hotels has reportedly risen above 50 per cent over the weekends, offering a glimmer of hope for businesses that were earlier struggling with less visitors. However, the weekdays continue to be slow, with hoteliers expressing concern over the sluggish start to the tourist season.

While the weekends are seeing a decent influx of tourists, the rest of the week remains relatively quiet. Our only hope now is snowfall,” said Hem Raj Sharma, a hotelier in Manali.

He said snowfall was crucial for attracting tourists, especially those looking to engage in winter sports like skiing and snowboarding. “If it snows soon, we expect a significant increase in tourists, which will help boost our business,” he added.

Local tourism leaders also share this sentiment. Anup Thakur, president of the Kullu-Manali Paryatan Vikas Mandal, acknowledged the slight increase in weekend tourism, but noted that the overall figures were still below expectations. “Tourism units in Kullu-Manali are flourishing so we need a higher volume of visitors to sustain the industry. Snow is a major attraction for tourists during winter and we are hoping for it soon,” Thakur said.

The region’s tourism has traditionally been heavily dependent on snowfall during the winter months, with tourists flocking to Manali for snow-related activities. Without this key attraction, many businesses are struggling to maintain revenue levels.

Hoteliers are now looking to the weather with great anticipation, hoping that the coming days will bring the snowfall needed to kick-start the winter tourism season. Despite the challenges, the increase in weekend visitors has provided some relief, offering a temporary respite to businesses in distress.

The higher reaches of the state are expected to witness snowfall from November 22. As per the state’s Meteorological Department, rain and snow are very likely to occur in the higher hills of Chamba and Kangra districts on November 22 and in the higher reaches of Kangra and Kullu districts on November 23.

Meanwhile, weather was mostly dry across the state during the past 24 hours.

The maximum temperature in Shimla was 17.8°C, in Dharamsala (24.5°C), Manali (16.7°C), Kasauli (18.1°C), Solan (23.6°C), Bilaspur (26.3°C), Chamba (24.7°C), Kufri (12.8°C), Narkanda (13.2°C), Nahan (24°C), Bhuntar (25.4°C), Kalpa (15.3°C), Sundernagar (25.6°C), Mandi (23.2°C) and Bilaspur (26.3°C).

The lowest temperature in the state was minus 5.6°C recorded at Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti district while the highest temperature was 27.6°C recorded in Una.

The state Pollution Control Board has imposed a composite fine of Rs 1.73 crore on the Manali Municipal Council for causing polluting the environment and the Beas.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has also slapped a fine of Rs 4.6 crore on the MC, and the last date for its submission is December 19.

The decision comes after the High Court of Himachal did not provide relief to the MC. Meanwhile, due to a political turmoil in the MC, the post of the president has been lying vacant since September 25.

The waste from the district was dumped at the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant at Rangri near Manali and various civic bodies paid Re 1 per kg of waste to the MC from 2019 to July 15, 2024. However, the MC officials abstained from divulging the details related to the income received from other civic bodies for the garbage.

Due to this, the legacy waste piled up and now, leachate discharge from this waste was polluting the Beas and the environment.

The MC had also received funds from the Urban Development Department and the government for the removal of legacy waste.

However, the accumulated waste has not been removed despite the MC officials’ claim to have lifted it. The officials stated that machines were being installed by the new contractor, and that problem would soon be resolved.

The waste is being scattered near the national highway. The NGT, in its orders on May 29, had issued directions for the criminal prosecution under Sections 15, 16, 17 and 19 of Environment Protection Act, 1986, as the case might be against Kullu District Magistrate, Manali MC’s Executive Officer and Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department.

The High Court had so far stayed the operation of the impugned order as the instructions were issued regarding the criminal prosecution against the fourth petitioner – the Executive Officer of Manali MC – only. However, the MC has not deposited the fine and neither has the situation regarding the legacy waste improved.

However, residents of Manali are irked by the lackadaisical approach of the MC office-bearers and officials, due to which the civic body will have to bear a fine of around Rs 6 crore. Sanjeev, a resident of Manali, said a huge amount, which could be spent for development, would be used for the purpose of remediation, rejuvenation and restoration of the damaged environment, caused due to negligence of MC office-bearers and officials.

Local social activist Gautam Thakur said that the amount should be recovered from the negligent councillors and officers. The taxpayers of Manali should not be made to bear the brunt of the follies of the MC.

Following a tip-off, the Damtal police in Nurpur police district raided a house at Chhanni village this morning and recovered 91.4 gram of heroin (Chitta) and Rs 38,000 drug money from the possession of Bharat and his younger brother Khanna.

They were arrested by the police and a case under Sections 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act was registered against them. The duo were involved in drug peddling in the inter-state border belt.

Ashok Ratan, Superintendent of Police (SP), Nurpur, said Bharat was involved in drug peddling cases in the past too. He said the Indora police in Nurpur and Pathankot police in Punjab had already booked him under the NDPS Act after recovery of heroin from his possession in September 2018 and March 2020, respectively.

The SP said Bharat’s younger brother Khanna was also facing two cases under the NDPS Act. The Damtal police had arrested him in November 2020 and the Indora police had nabbed him in March 2018 after recovering heroin from his possession. —

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today announced a special relief package for disaster-affected Samej and Bagi areas of Rampur in Shimla district on the pattern of the relief package given last year.

He made this announcement while presiding over the closing ceremony of the four-day International Lavi Fair at Rampur.

He said, “The families, which have lost their homes completely in the disaster, will receive Rs 7 lakh rather than Rs 1.50 lakh while those with partially damaged homes will receive Rs 1 lakh. The state government will provide death certificates and financial assistance to the families of persons, who had gone missing in the disaster.”

Sukhu said that the government had rehabilitated 23,000 affected families last year and provided a special economic package of Rs 4,500 crore without support from the Central Government. He criticised the previous BJP government for allegedly squandering public funds.

Sukhu said that more public welfare schemes would be introduced in the upcoming Budget. He added that while needy families would continue to enjoy subsidy benefits, affluent families would be encouraged to give up such benefits voluntarily.

The Chief Minister said that the state government was committed to strengthening the education and health sectors. “It is the state government’s responsibility to provide education to each child but without proper teachers and facilities, it will be a betrayal of public trust,” he added.

He said that to address this problem, 3,000 teachers had already been appointed on the batch-wise basis while another 3,000 teachers were being recruited. He added that the state government had restored the old pension scheme for its employees and started giving a Rs 1,500 monthly pension to eligible women.

Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the Lavi Fair was a symbol of cultural heritage and trade exchange. He credited the Congress government with a robust disaster response and ongoing development across the state. Around Rs 250 crore had been allocated for road projects in Rampur alone, he claimed.

Former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar yesterday reiterated that it was the responsibility of the Central Government to ensure that the Punjab Government returned the Shanan Power Project located at Jogindernagar in Mandi district to Himachal Pradesh after its lease agreement expired in March this year.

He added that Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s recent statement in Shimla that the Central Government would be neutral on the issue was uncalled for. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene to safeguard the interests of Himachal Pradesh.

Shanta Kumar said that as per the provisions of the States’ Reorganisation Act, 1966, after the expiry of the lease agreement in March, the Himachal Pradesh Government became the rightful owner of the Shanan Power Project.

He highlighted the historical oversight during the 1966 reorganisation of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.

Though the Reorganisation Act stipulated an equitable distribution of resources, Himachal Pradesh was yet to receive its fair share of assets from Chandigarh and various power projects.

He said that the Act clearly intended that Punjab’s properties should be redistributed to the newly formed state, yet the Shanan Power Project remained an exception.

Though it is located in Himachal, Punjab had its overall control, illustrating injustice done to the state. He added that after the lease agreement expired, the Punjab Government moved the Supreme Court.

“Earlier, the Himachal Government had fought a long legal battle in the Supreme Court to get its due share from BBMB projects located in Himachal Pradesh, which was getting an ad-hoc share,” he added.

Shanta Kumar said that when he was the Chief Minister of the state, he had raised these issue with the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai in 1977. Though the matter was raised continuously with prominent national leaders during protests in Delhi, the injustice persisted for over five decades.

He appreciated the efforts of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for fighting a legal battle in the Supreme Court by engaging top lawyers.

He said that since Himachal Pradesh was a small state with only four MPs in the Lok Sabha, “its voice goes unheard and powerful states continue to dominate”.

The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Wednesday termed as unconstitutional the appointment of six chief parliamentary secretaries (CPS) and ordered their immediate removal along with all benefits and perks.

A division bench of the High Court headed by Justice Vivek Thakur and Justice Bipin Chander gave the final order. Two separate petitions had been filed challenging the appointment of the six CPS, including a PIL by Kalpana Devi and the other by 11 BJP legislators, including Sat Pal Satti.

The High Court also set aside the Act under which the appointment of the CPS had been made. The court termed the appointment of the CPS as wastage of public funds while ordering immediate withdrawal of all facilities extended to them.

The six CPS whose appointment has been ordered are Kishori Lal (Baijnath in Kangra), Mohan Lal Brakta (Rampur in Shimla), Ram Kumar (Doon in Solan), Ashish Butail (Palampur in Kangra), Sunder Thakur (Kullu) and Sanjay Awashty (Arki in Solan).

The six CPS had been appointed on January 8, 2023 just before the induction of seven ministers in the cabinet by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

It was on August 18, 2005 that the High Court had set aside the appointment of eight CPS and four parliamentary secretaries.

Those who were removed in 2005 were Mukesh Agnihotri, Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Anita Verma, Prem Singh, Tek Chand, Harsh Wardhan Chauhan, Lajja Ram and Harbhajan Singh. The four parliamentary secretaries were Jagat Singh Negi, Surinder Kumar, Sudhir Sharma and Raghubir Singh.

Advocate General Anup Rattan said the state government would challenge the High Court order of terming the post of CPS and PS as unconstitutional in the Supreme Court. “Since the Act in Himachal is different from the Act in Assam, where too the appointment of the CPS has been set aside, the state government will challenge the order in the apex court,” the AG said.

Rattan said that unlike in Assam, in Himachal the CPS or PS were not giving any approval on files while in Assam they were exercising the powers of ministers. In Himachal, the CPS only advised the ministers.

Two policemen from Padhar police station in this district were arrested on Monday for bribery.

Sub-Inspector Ashok Kumar, the SHO of Padhar police station, and Head Constable Ashwani Kumar were taken into custody following a sting operation by the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.

A complaint was filed by Virender Kumar, a resident of Gawali village in Padhar tehsil. Kumar accused the two cops of demanding money in exchange for helping him resolve a case against him.

Bureau SP Kulbhushan Verma said a trap was laid after receiving the complaint and SI Ashok Kumar caught accepting Rs 15,000 from the complainant. The cash was recovered and the two cops arrested.

The cops were presented in a court, where they were remanded in police custody for three days, said Verma.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the state government had approved the recruitment of 6,000 teachers and 3,000 posts of these had already been filled.

Instead of opening new schools, the government was focusing on improving infrastructure and providing staff at existing educational institutions to ensure quality education, he added.

He earlier inaugurated the annual fair at the Bhureshvar Mahadev Temple in the Pachhad Assembly constituency of Sirmaur district. He unveiled a new idol of Lord Shiva at the temple and inaugurated two development projects: the Van Vatika Bhureshvar and the Kwagdhar helipad.

The Chief Minister, while addressing a gathering, announced that the Lwasa Chowki-Chandigarh road would be widened to improve accessibility and enhance tourism.

He said that considering the eco-tourism potential of the Bhureshvar Mahadev area, new development projects would create jobs and stimulate self-employment opportunities, directly benefiting the local economy.

He said that the state government was committed to making Himachal Pradesh self-reliant by 2027 and transforming it into one of the most prosperous states by 2032. He added that ongoing economic reforms would set the state’s economy on the path of positive growth.

Sukhu emphasised various initiatives to boost rural livelihoods, including the hike in the prices of agricultural and dairy products.

The state was now offering Rs 40 per kilogram for naturally-farmed wheat and Rs 30 for maize, he said. Additionally, the minimum support price (MSP) for cow milk had been raised from Rs 32 a litre to Rs 45 a litre while the buffalo milk was now fetching Rs 55 per litre.

Furthermore, the daily wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) had been increased to Rs 300.

Sukhu highlighted the state government’s approach to promoting education and healthcare. He claimed that the previous BJP government had opened schools without providing adequate budget, and as a result Himachal Pradesh’s national ranking in education fell to the 21st position.

“While addressing these shortcomings remains a challenging task, public support is crucial for the success of our reforms,” he added.

The Chief Minister assured the gathering that the state government was resolute in its mission to overcome obstacles and achieve progress in all sectors.