Shimla, Nov 20 (Representative) Himachal Pradesh government, after winning a legal battle against International Hospitality Oberoi Group took over possession of five Star Wildflowers Hall at Charabar in the outskirts of this capital town. Top top officials in the government said that they took possession of Wildflower Hall in Chharabra, Shimla, on Saturday and returned the property to Himachal tourism. According to the latest information, HPTDC Director Mansi Sahay has been posted as the administrator of this property, and AGM Anil Taneja has been posted as OSD. Early this morning, HPTDC and district administration teams rushed to Chharabra with heavy police force. This created panic among the Oberoi management and staff. The government has taken possession of this property worth crores of rupees following yesterday’s orders of the High Court. Even in August 2022, the Himachal High Court justified the government’s decision to take back this property of Oberoi Group. The court has justified the government’s decision to cancel the agreement with the company. The court also clarified that the state government has full authority to take back the property from Oberoi Group and East India Hotel Company.
The company has absolutely no right to accept the beneficial terms in the agreement and ignore those that are causing losses. Now the government has taken possession of the court orders. Oberoi also challenged the arbitration award of this property in the Supreme Court, which was upheld by the apex court, and slapped a penalty in the international hospitality unit of crores. The former residence of Lord Kitchener, former Commander of the British Army, Wild Flower Hall is a 5-star resort that offers the ambiance of a grand stately home. The Wild Flower Hall offers a unique opportunity to lose yourself in nature. In 1909, after Lord Kitchener returned to England, Wild Flower Hall was sold to Robert Hotz and his wife. In 1925, after demolishing the old house, Hotez built a fine three-story hotel. After Independence, the hotel was transferred to the Himachal government for use as an agricultural university. It was taken over by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) in 1973, which operated till 1993. Due to an electrical short circuit on April 5, 1993, wooden hotel was reduced to ashes due to the massive fire.