J&K hotel awaits Rs 3.85-cr payment from govt for providing 'high-end' facilities to detained leaders

Jammu and Kashmir administration has cleared just Rs 5 lakh out of a total bill of Rs 3.90 crore to Centaur Hotel management, here, for providing high-end facilities to political leaders detained in the Valley post abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state last August.

Around 40 politicians, including former ministers and legislators, were detained at Centaur Lake View Hotel built on 12 acres of land along the banks of Dal Lake for more than three months from August 5 to November 17.

The bill charged by the hotel, owned by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), was Rs 3,90,39,220 for providing "high-class" facilities to the politicians for their stay, revealed official documents. It includes lodging charges of Rs 2.76 crore. However, the bill is still unpaid with only Rs 5 lakh was reimbursed to the hotel on August 26 2019.

The hotel during this period provided 6,786 high-end meals to the politicians, which included their breakfast, lunch, dinner and evening tea, for which it charged Rs 1,350 each day plus GST and provided 20 percent concession on the actual amount it usually charges.

As the government failed to clear the bill, the Hotel management shot a letter to Kashmir’s Divisional Commissioner Kashmir’s office which reads: "…the hotel was declared as sub-jail and since then all the political detainees were enjoying all kinds of facilities and services being provided to them as per monitoring and observation of administration."

"The management despite having so many operational difficulties could manage all boarding and lodging services to the detainees with complete satisfaction and without any failure, keeping into consideration the interest of the nation. …..the Centaur has remained confined to jail status which discouraged our local event businesses like marriages and other parties with whom tentative confirmations were on records."

However, a senior official argued that the hotel will get paid as per the government rates. The government was being charged Rs 5, 000 a day for one room, but only Rs 800 will be sanctioned, he said.