Hotel Pine View in Kasauli. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi) Hotel Pine View in Kasauli. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi) THE SUPREME Court order on Tuesday to demolish illegal constructions at several hotels in Kasauli has sent shock waves among the owners of the hotels in this picturesque Himachal hill town, with hotel owners appealing to the Himachal chief minister and even contemplating fast unto death. The day after the verdict, they gathered at a hotel on Dharampur Kasauli road on Wednesday and mulled over moving a review petition in the Supreme Court. The Court has ordered the demolition of portions deemed illegal of over a dozen hotels that are spread over an area spanning from Dharampur to Kasauli and part of the Kasauli Development Plan. Under the aegis of Kasauli Hotels and Resident Welfare Association (KHRWA), the group of affected owners gathered at Pine View hotel to see how to stave off the demolition, which the court has ordered to be carried out in a fortnight’s time. KHRWA patron Ved Garg, who runs Shivalik hotel, which faces demolition of illegal construction, said they would meet Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday and demand that the Himachal government should also become a party with them in the review petition. Sunita Devi, the owner of Divshikha hotel, said, “If after the meeting with the CM, no step is taken to stop the demolition, we will sit on dharna and fast unto death.” The hoteliers said the court was not properly informed about the “factual position” that the Himachal Town and Country Planning department had permitted three plus one floors, which includes one floor for parking of vehicles in Kasauli. They said what emerged from the reports after the Supreme Court order was that only two-storeyed buildings were allowed. “This is unfortunate that constructions on our own land are being termed as illegal. Already out of total area, we are allowed construction in certain areas only. There is no other alternative to go vertical under the given circumstances,” said KHRWA president Rajinder Chopra, who runs Kasauli Inn among other hotel ventures in the hill town. Chopra said as per the Supreme Court order, the sit-out area of Kasauli Inn on the top floor faces demolition. “I have already given an undertaking to alter the construction to remove the sit-out area,” said Chopra. Varun Jain of Whispering Winds on the Dharampur-Kasauli road said, “The decision of the Supreme Court will hit the employment prospects of locals. Also, if there are no hotels, why will tourists come to Kasauli.” Whispering Winds faces demolition of a floor meant for parking but being used as reception and another floor constructed illegally. “I constructed a portion for which I did not take prior permission. But, as per TCP norms, this construction can be regularised if I make an application and for that I have even approached the department,” said KHRWA senior vice-president Amardeep Singh Gill, who runs Bird’s View hotel on the Kasauli-Parwanoo road. The hoteliers blamed Society for Preservation of Kasauli and its Environs (SpoKE) for carrying out a campaign against them, but Lt General (Retd) Kamal Davar, the newly elected president of the society, said it had nothing to do with the court order. “We are only opposing the construction of the Himachal Tourism hotel in the Kasauli Cantonment area.” Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling came after a long legal battle in which the National Green Tribunal first ordered the demolition of illegal structures at several hotels in Kasauli, which was stayed by the apex court. Most of the illegal constructions relate to the construction of more than the permissible number of floors. But the affected hoteliers say there is an explanation for such constructions. Devinderjit Bhandari of Pine View said, “We have three separate buildings in the name of three family members. One building has four floors. The other adjacent building has three floors with different foundation. So, it cannot be taken as seven floors as foundation of both the buildings is not same.” The hoteliers said there was no history of landslides in the area and majority of the area in terms of seismic zone was less prone to earthquake compared to places like Shimla. For all the latest Chandigarh News, download Indian Express App

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