Srinagar: A day after the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) formally took over possession of the Royal Park Hotel following the expiry of its lease agreement, a local court in Baramulla restrained the authority from evicting the current operator until further orders.
On Friday, officials of the GDA confirmed that the government-owned property had been reclaimed after the expiry of its lease period.
The hotel, leased out nearly two decades ago, was not granted renewal after the stipulated 20-year term ended earlier this year. Following the lapse, the authority moved to prevent any unauthorized occupation, taking physical possession of the premises in the presence of officials.
The action came just weeks after GDA repossessed the historic 137-year-old Nedous Hotel in Gulmarg in August as part of its ongoing campaign to retrieve government properties whose leases have expired.
However, on Saturday, the 1st Additional District Judge, Baramulla, took up a plea filed by Bilal Ahmad Shah, the current operator of Royal Park Hotel, who challenged the eviction.
Shah, through his counsel, argued that the lease granted in 2005 was valid until November 2025, and that he had already paid advance rent while also seeking an extension of the lease term in April this year.
The plea further contended that the GDA’s oral eviction threats were unlawful, particularly as the representation for lease renewal was still pending before the government.
After hearing preliminary submissions, the court directed issuance of notice to the GDA and ordered that the matter be listed again on October 7, 2025. The judge also noted that the plaintiff had filed an application under Order 39 Rule 3 CPC seeking interim relief against eviction.
The order effectively stalls the eviction process for now, as the court observed that the plaintiff’s representation for extension of the lease period remains under consideration with the Tourism Department. (KNO)
