I wonder how much interest was created by the news relating Centaur Lakeview Hotel published in your daily. As a person who remained associated with the construction and operation of both Centaur as well as SKICC from the inception, I found it not only interesting but also rife with plans for future. Kashmir Convention Complex was created with a specific objective and leasing out a part of the prize land to Hotel Corporation of India was to achieve that objective. Even the construction of Royal Springs Golf Course formed a part of this grand plan. Unfortunately none of the objectives have been achieved for various reasons and perhaps, one of the main handicaps has been the lack of knowledge and understanding in the state bureaucracy about a facility of this kind. The complex was also made a subject of controversies as the local media found it a soft target for sordid campaigns.
Kashmir Convention Complex was the brain child of some outstanding brains in aviation and tourism industry. Air India was one of the finest airlines especially on cross Atlantic route in 70s. It had visionaries like Bobby Kooka  and Dastur looking after its expansion and commercial interests. A world class convention centre in a place like Kashmir was aimed to attract big spending international and regional conferences into the valley and promote the interest of both Kashmir tourism and Air India. It is for every one of us to see that we failed in both. How and why we failed would make a very interesting study and I want to contribute to this study, in a humble way if it interests your readers?
For the moment the news that HCI is contemplating giving out CLVH on management contract to some company invokes interest. I am sure the present HCI management would have had a look on the lease agreement. The state Government did not give this land for peanuts to HCI to later surreptitiously pass it on to a third party and deprive the state and its people of yet another great asset. In today’s corporate maneuvers of take overs/mergers etc such a management take over has long term implications of   acquisition.

 Khurshid Naqib
kanaqib@yahoo.com

Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:00:00 IST