Himachal HC grants interim stay on Shimla MC’s decision to open food court in townhall
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Heritage Committee directed to submit report on using townhall
The Newz Radar
Shimla: Himachal High Court has granted an interim stay on the proposed opening of a food court in Shimla’s heritage town hall by the Shimla Municipal Corporation.
The interim stay, till the next hearing, was granted by the HC bench of Chief Justice M S Ramchandra Rao and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua while hearing a public interest petition.
The bench has sought a report on this proposed use of the town hall from the Heritage Committee. The High Court will take up a hearing on this issue on March 14.
The hearing on the proposed commercial use of the heritage town hall as a high-end cafe was held on January 4 and the bench had reserved its order.
The public interest petition on this issue had been filed by advocate Abhimanyu Rathor. He contended in his petition that the Shimla civic body was violating relevant sections of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958 and the Town and Country Planning (TCP) in granting permission for the use of the heritage townhall as a high-end cafe.
The Shimla MC had invited tenders in 2020 for the operation of a high-end cafe and restaurant on the ground floor of the heritage town hall building.
When the municipal corporation did not get any viable takers for the tender then it handed over the responsibility to Himachal Pradesh Infrastructure Development Board (HPIDB) which issued a fresh tender on February 26, 2022.
The petitioner has urged the High Court to ensure that the basic shape and usage of the heritage town hall building be maintained. The petitioner has also urged the HC to direct action against the government officials concerned who have failed to ensure that the original form and use of the building are maintained. The petitioner said that the proposed commercial use of the town hall is for a food court and not a high-end cafe and restaurant.
The town hall had been renovated and following an order of the HC, a high-end cafe was reportedly opened there. However, the HC found later that it was just a food court and not a high-end cafe.
Himachal Advocate General Anup Kumar Rattan said that the High Court’s opinion is that what was opened at the town hall was not a high-end cafe but just a food court which impacts the heritage value of the building.
