Puri: The Central government has plans to restore hotel Nilachal Ashoka in Puri town through public-private partnership (PPP) mode under its recent monetisation drive, an official informed Sunday.
According to the source, details are yet to be chalked out for the restoration of the dilapidated hotel.
The government-run hotel was inaugurated November 26, 1988. It was then managed by Utkal Ashoka Hotel Corporation as a Central government enterprise and existed on more than six acres of land.
However, the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) decided to shut the hotel near the beach in Puri in 2005 due to mismanagement and financial crisis.
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Puri-Konark Development Authority (PKDA) secretary Lalatendu Sahu said, “We are waiting for a written communication in this regard from the Central government.”
PKDA plan approval officer (PAO) Sushant Kumar Bhoi said, “Total area that previously existed for the hotel has now got squeezed due to the ongoing Puri Doordarshan and Blue-flag Beach projects. The Nilachal Ashoka hotel restoration work will be taken up after getting an official communication for the purpose.”
PNN
