Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s team seems to be buckling under pressure, at least that appears from a viral video in which his close aide and Principal Media Adviser Naresh Chauhan purportedly loses his cool when questioned by a television journalist on the high court order to shut 18 government-owned hotels.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court had three days ago ordered the state government to close down 18 hotels of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation as these had been running into losses for years.
Questions over closure of 18 hotels
When an Aaj Tak journalist asked what the Sukhu government’s next plan of action would be and whether a petition would be filed in the Supreme Court to challenge the high court order, an angry Chauhan said, “Our government very well knows what it has to do and we have legal experts for this.”
When the Aaj Tak journalist persisted with his queries, Chauhan snapped back saying he “should not cross his line and focus only on his job”. “We will not seek your advice on this and you should not try to enter our domain,” he said.
When the journalist again asked a question, Chauhan tells him to leave the room and repeatedly asks him cameraman to shut his device. Chauhan next tells him whether it’s a debate or he’s seeking answers to his queries?” The video then shows him asking the journalist to approach the high court if he wanted more clarification.
Properties located in prime areas of Himachal
The high court had ordered the closure of the 18 hotels on Tuesday, citing low occupancy rates and continued financial losses.
The court’s directive, issued by Justice Ajay Mohan Goyal, mandates that these 18 properties, located in prime tourist destinations like Dharamshala, Manali, Keylong, Solan, Kullu and Khajjiar, cease operations by November 25. Among the establishments set to close is the iconic Chail Palace, along with Hotel Dhauladhar in Dharamshala and Log Huts in Manali. The court found these hotels to be “white elephants” and described their management and maintenance as financially unsustainable given the consistently low occupancy rates.
