Nainital residents, tourists to get relief by allotment of Metropole Hotel for parking

Nainital, May 29 (PTI) Temporary allotment of enemy property Metropole Hotel complex for parking in the lake city of Nainital is expected to provide massive relief to the city residents and tourists facing traffic issues and the problem of parking.

On the request of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has temporarily allotted the open space of the Metropole Hotel complex to the Uttarakhand government for parking till further orders. Union Home Minister Amit Shah wrote a letter to Dhami informing him about this.

Locals believe that the open space of the hotel complex can park more than 700 vehicles which will provide great relief to the parking problem in Nainital city and will help a lot in traffic management, especially during the tourist season.

According to Digvijay Bisht, president of Hotel and Restaurant Association, Nainital, construction of a parking facility in the Metropole Hotel complex will benefit local people as well as tourists.

Although the premises of the Metropole Hotel have been used as a parking lot for the past few years, the entire space will be available for vehicles now after getting the formal approval.

Built in 1880, the Metropole Hotel is spread over an area of ​​about 10 acres in Mallital on High Court Road. It became neglected and turned into a dilapidated state after being declared enemy property in 1965.

Metropole Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Nainital, has been lying vacant for a long time due to the ongoing dispute over its land. The Maharaja of Mehmoodabad was its original owner. After his departure to Pakistan, the hotel, valued at Rs 100 crore according to government estimates, was declared an enemy property.

In those days, staying at the Metropole Hotel was considered a status symbol. Several famous actors and politicians enjoyed the hotel's hospitality during its prime time. Among them was Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah who stayed there during his honeymoon.

In 2019, the district administration received in-principle approval to use the Metropole Hotel as a parking lot. This approval remained valid till March 2021 but it was still being used for parking.

Nainital District Magistrate Vandana Singh earlier said that removing encroachment from Metropole Hotel enemy property is the first priority.

She said that after the property is handed over by the Office of the Custodian of Enemy Property, it will be used for public welfare works and the proposal to develop a multi-storey parking will be seriously considered.

Earlier, the district administration had planned to develop a multi-storey parking along with a helipad on this property. It has received in-principle approval from the central government. PTI DPT DIV KSS KSS