The auctioning of the Taj Mansingh Hotel in the Capital will be the key issue to be discussed in the general meeting of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Wednesday. An action plan will also be chalked out with regard to the injunction suit filed by the Indian Hotels Company (IHC) against the auction of the hotel by the civic body.
Besides the auctioning of the hotel, the much-delayed Connaught Place redevelopment plan will also be discussed in the Civic Body meeting on Wednesday.
"The primary topic to be discussed in the council meeting is that of Taj Mansingh Hotel. The issue is significant as we have to take an appropriate action and also reply to the Delhi High Court in connection with the civil suit filed by the IHC at the earliest. That is going to be the main agenda," said a senior NDMC official. Notably, the Delhi High Court has sought response of the NDMC over the issue.
Tata Group's IHC which maintains and operates the Taj Mansingh Hotel in the city had surprised the civic body when it filed an injunction suit in the Delhi High Court on April 4. The land of the hotel is owned by the NDMC. Issues started cropping up when the lease of the hotel got over in the year 2011. The civic agency then had extended the lease by a year. Since October 2012, after getting a re-evaluation done of the property by Ernst and Young Company, the NDMC decided to auction it to new bidders. On the other hand, the IHC believes that it has partial stake on the hotel as they have invested money in its construction and maintenance.
Besides this, several other issues will be tabled in the meeting. Progress of the multi-level parking in Khan Market, which has been lingering only on papers for over two years, will be reviewed. Construction of foot over bridges, subways and underpasses in NDMC areas will also be sanctioned. More importantly, the members are planning to revise parking tariffs in all the parking slots that fall under the body's supervision.
The completion of the much awaited facelift of Connaught Place (CP) would also be discussed in the meeting. The project which missed several deadlines is on its final phase. "82 per cent of the work is done. The rest will be finished soon. Now CP will not only look good, but will also have public amenities like kiosks for various purposes," said a senior official of NDMC.
Moreover, the body is even planning to provide an electronic parking management system for parking near Palika Bazaar. Development of the park-and-ride facility being constructed at Safdarjung airport and widening of roads at Sarojini Nagar will also be taken up in their discussion.