Srinagar, Feb 22: Ahead of Government’s decision on the takeover of Centaur Lake View Hotel here from Hotel Corporation of India, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today sought opinion from top authorities of different departments at a meeting at Jammu. A high level committee constituted to negotiate with the Corporation on the issue is learnt to have favored the takeover of the hotel by the State Government.
Omar sought opinion from top bureaucrats of Planning, Finance and Tourism department on the issue, said a source.
Members of the negotiating committee were also part of the deliberations.
Sources told Greater Kashmir that the Chief Minister listened to different view points from the participants. “He did not express his opinion,” sources said.
The Committee is of the view that there is no problem in taking over the Centaur hotel building. However, the Committee is learnt to have expressed its reservations on continuing with the services of the permanent employees of the HCI in the Hotel.
“The land belongs to the State. Taking over of the building will require State to cough out Rs 30 crore to Rs 40 crore,” sources said.
“If the deals goes through it is for the Corporation to take care of its permanent employees. We will work out on the status of other employees in the hotel,” said an official.
Built in 1982, the hotel located adjacent to SK International Convention Centre has been one of the major attractions for local and foreign tourists visiting the Valley.
The Centaur has a capacity of 292 rooms and land for its construction was leased out to Air India’s subsidiary, Hotel Corporation of India, by the State Government for 90 years. There are more than 350 employees working in the hotel, most of them locals.  The Civil Aviation Ministry-owned HCI had earlier expressed its intentions to sell the business establishment to New Delhi-based business house, DB Realty. But the deal was cancelled later.

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