J&K opposes GoI move to privatise Srinagar Centaur Hotel

NEW DELHI: Senior leaders of Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday opposed the government of India’s move to privatise Srinagar Centaur Hotel and said the state government was ready to accept the responsibility to manage it.
A delegation, including J&K Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmed Mir and state Congress chief Saifuddin Soz, met Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh here and conveyed to him their opposition to the privatisation move.
For over a year now, the government has been toying with the idea of privatising the hotel belonging to Air India subsidiary Hotel Corporation of India, located on the pristine Dal Lake.
“We don’t accept the (privatisation) proposal. The management of Srinagar Centaur should be run either by Air India or by the J and K government,” Soz said.
He said the state Tourism Ministry was “ready to accept the responsibility of running this prestigious hotel and will move a proposal (to the Civil Aviation Ministry) shortly.”
Soz said the Minister said he would discuss the issue further and involve them in the discussion.
The delegation also included state Tourism Director Talat Parvez and Srinagar Centaur’s employees union President Javed Ahmed Pandit.
Later, senior CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia and Pandit met the Civil Aviation Minister and opposed the privatisation move.
About 300 employees have also been opposing the privatisation move and have been holding a series of protests on the issue during the past several months.

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