The Jammu and Kashmir’s Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu on Sunday confirmed the reports that the state government is getting back Srinagar’s Centaur Hotel from the Hotel Corporation of India Ltd, Ministry of Civil Aviation, GOI.
Drabu told KNS that the Ministry of Civil Aviation, GOI has decided to transfer the Centaur hotel back to the state government and that the written agreement between the centre and the state has been finalised. “I have met the minister for Civil Aviation and we reached at an agreement that the hotel will be transferred to the state government,” said the finance minister.
When asked whether the state government will run the hotel itself or will outsource it, Drabu said that once the formalities for the transfer of the hotel to the state government are completed, the state cabinet will take a view on this issue.
Earlier, during his visit to Centaur Hotel located on the banks of Kashmir’s famed water Body- Dal Lake, the minister of the Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha on December 7, this year had held a detailed meeting with the employees of the hotel and had assured them that their service rights will not be suspended or ceased.
The Civil Aviation minister during his visit had hinted that the state government may outsource the Hotel to any private hotel chain for as specified period. However, the minister had assured the employees working at present in the Centaur Hotel that their service rights and benefits will be protected by the state government and the decision to outsource the hotel to any private firm will not affect their employment.