Darjeeling, Oct. 19: The
GTA has decided to allow people to park vehicles on the premises of the
defunct Hotel Mount Everest in Darjeeling from tomorrow, though its
owners, EIH Limited, have not given permission to do so.
Binay Tamang, the executive member
of the GTA in charge of information and cultural affairs, today said the
compound of the hotel needed to be opened for parking till the end of
the year as there would be a huge influx of tourists in the next two
months at time road repairs were on in the hill town.
The hotel has been
shut since 1985 after a fire gutted the building. The property was one
of the best known hotels and counted Bollywood stars among its guests.
Tamang today said
the administrative body would allow the people to park vehicles on the
compound of the hotel from tomorrow till the year-end. “We had written
to EIH Limited on September 10, 2012, requesting it to allow us to use
the hotel for parking vehicles till December 31, 2012. We are
anticipating a huge influx of tourists in the next two months and since
the municipality has also started repairing all roads, there could be
major traffic congestion,” Tamang said.
The GTA member
said EIH Limited had not yet given the go-ahead for the parking. “We got
a letter from S.S. Mukherjee, the vice-chairman of the company, who has
neither denied nor given us permission to use the space. Since, we are
working for the welfare of the common people and the tourists, we have
decided to park cars on the compound of the Everest Hotel from
tomorrow,” he said.
In his reply,
Mukherjee said EIH had been planning to reopen the hotel but the company
had encountered impediments, one of which was the scarcity of water in
the town.
Arguing that the
GTA’s move would dampen EIH’s “enthusiasm (for reopening the hotel)”,
Mukherjee said: “Please let us know whether there is anything we can do
in terms of subsidising any alternative space, which may be arranged by
the GTA for the purpose.”
Told about the GTA’s decision to park vehicles on the hotel premises, an EIH official said “coercive” parking would be illegal.
“We are not aware
of any such development. However, if this is true, it will further erode
confidence of the investors in the development of Darjeeling.
Moreover, whosoever tries to do this, it will be taken as an unlawful
and coercive activity.”
Tamang said the GTA wanted to use the property only till December.
“For 27 years,
they have not opened their property. We want them to co-operate with us
for the good of the public. We want to use the space only for a
temporary period. If they respond positively, we will also extend all
possible co-operation to them in the days to come,” he said.
The GTA said it
was looking at ways to decongest Darjeeling and plans were in place to
open new parking spaces in town. “Construction of parking spaces at
Singamari and at another place near the railway station has already
started. We are looking at accommodating 750 vehicles in these two
parking lots and once they are completed, the traffic problem in
Darjeeling will be solved to a large extent,” said Tamang.
Bimal Gurung, the
chief executive of the GTA, said old municipality buildings at Chowk
Bazar would be dismantled soon and new structures would be built. “We
had a meeting with the business establishment. The project is worth
around Rs 18-19 crore and we will set up a rain harvesting system,
vegetable market and parking space at Chowk Bazar,” Gurung said.
Sources said the buildings were likely to be constructed on a public-private-partnership model.
Source: The Telegraph
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