Want land for hotels on G Noida Expressway, pay 3 times: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the allotment of land to hospitality giants for construction of star hotels on the Noida-Greater Noida expressway, but asked them to pay almost triple the original price if they still wanted to retain the allotted land. The land was allotted by the then Mulayam Singh Yadav government to cater to Commonwealth Games 2010.

When the regime changed and Mayawati took over the reins of government, the state administration sought to nullify all allotments made during the chief ministership of Mulayam, alleging that land worth crores were given away for a song.

A bench comprising Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik said if the hoteliers were not interested in the land, then they could claim a refund of their original payment from the UP government with interest.

The petitioners have challenged an Allahabad High Court judgment of May 13, 2007, finding no basis in the allegation that the lands were allotted for a song but gave liberty to the state government to take a fresh decision in the matter.

Appeals against the HC judgment were filed by ITC Ltd, Indian Hotels Company Ltd, Bharat Hotels Ltd and Hampshire Hotels & Rest (Noida) and others.

The hoteliers were aggrieved by Mayawati government's decision to cancel the allotment of land after allegations surfaced that land worth crores were given away cheap.

The decision could spur development of hotels on the busy expressway in the run up to the Formula One racing competition, and could also help the NCR emerge as a major conference and tourism hub. The decision could also add to much-needed hotel rooms in the area.