HC TELLS OBEROI TO HAND OVER WILDFLOWER HALL TO STATE GOVT

The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Friday directed the Oberoi Hotel Group to hand over the possession of the iconic Wildflower Hall Hotel to the state government within two months.

The court also ordered both the parties to appoint a renowned chartered accountant to settle the financial matters in this regard. Disposing of the government's application, it said Oberoi Group had failed to comply with the arbitration award within the stipulated time limit of three months. 

Rejecting a review petition filed by the East India Hotels (EIH), a part of the Oberoi Group, a single-judge bench of justice Satyen Vaidya allowed the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) to take over the hotel built across 22 acres at Chharabra on the outskirts of Shimla.

On November 17 last year, the high court had transferred the ownership of the 86-room five-star resort to the state government but stayed its ruling the next day, when HPTDC reached Chharabra along with a heavy police force to take control of the hotel.