Latest news with #Nedou
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
As per SC order, J&K govt. takes over iconic Nedou's Hotel in Gulmarg
Under a tight security cover, the iconic and historic Nedou's Hotel was 'smoothly' taken over by the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) after evicting the Nedou's family and their staff, running the place for the past 137 years, as per a Supreme Court order. 'It was a smooth transition. They [the Nedou's family] cooperated well. The hotel structures and the huts have been sealed as per the court orders. The GDA has taken over everything, including the articles inside for now,' Tariq Hussain Naik, Chief Executive Officer, GDA, who oversaw the takeover, told The Hindu. The GDA also made an inventory of the articles inside the structures, which include heritage furniture and artefacts. Perched on a small hill in Gulmarg with snow-capped mountains in the backdrop, the iconic Nedou's Hotel was set up in 1888 by Michael Adam Nedou, a European who discovered Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. Afterwards, it became a popular holiday destination for Europeans and royalty. After 1947, the hotel became a favourite haunt for politicians like Congress leader Indira Gandhi and Bollywood stars like Dilip Kumar. Several movies and songs were shot in and around the iconic wooden structure. At the time of eviction, officials said Omar K. Nedou, the great-grandson of Michael Nedou, and his wife Dilnawaz Nedou, who oversaw the Food and Beverage department, were present. Over 45 staff members also stood with the family members who worked for the hotel for several decades. The District Magistrate, Baramulla, provided adequate security personnel 'to ensure the peaceful execution of the eviction process and maintenance of public order'. The Nedous were in possession of nearly 98 kanals and 11 marlas of government land. The family had earned multiple leases from the government from 1888 till 1985. However, the family, which is related to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, failed to renew the lease after its expiration in 1985. The Jammu and Kashmir government rejected the lease in February 2015. Later, the High Court too dismissed the hotel's plea for lease renewal and declared it as an unauthorised occupant under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1988. The Supreme Court also issued eviction orders against the Nedous. 'Nobody is above law,' CEO Mr. Naik said. It is highly unlikely the family can apply for the property again because under the amended Land Grants Act rules 2022, the previous occupant cannot apply for the lease again.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
After 137 years, Kashmir's oldest hotel loses battle for legacy
Picture: Nedous Hotel's website SRINAGAR: Edwina Mountbatten sipped tea here. Khrushchev's Soviet delegation walked its wooden halls. In 1947, foreign correspondents wrote dispatches from its snow-wrapped verandas as Kashmir burned during the tribal invasion. Today, it lies sealed. J&K govt took control of Nedous Hotel in Gulmarg — a colonial-era landmark established in 1888 — ending a 137-year-old legacy tied to royalty, revolution, and the region's political aristocracy. Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) issued Saturday a 24-hour eviction notice to what it called an 'unauthorised occupant'. The lease had lapsed 40 years ago. Perched beside Gulmarg's golf course with views of Mount Apharwat, the heritage property was widely regarded as the region's first hotel. Historian Khalid Bashir Ahmad said the Gulmarg property was leased in the late 1800s by Maharaja Pratap Singh's govt at Rs 500 a year. Its original founder Michael Adam Nedou — a hotelier from Dubrovnik — had earlier established lodges in Lahore and Srinagar. His son Michael Henry 'Harry' Nedou embraced Islam and took the name Ghulam Qadir. He married Mir Jan, a Gujjar Muslim woman, and had a daughter named Akbar Jahan — who would go on to marry Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, founder of National Conference. 'The elder Nedou also repaired the Maharaja's huts, while his son ran a pony-cart service between Tangmarg and Gulmarg,' Ahmad said. Known for its wooden log-cabin design, the 24-room Nedous Hotel combined Kashmiri architecture with alpine warmth, offering a panoramic view of meadows and snow-capped peaks. Bollywood touched it too: a hut near the property was the backdrop for the iconic 1973 song 'Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho' from Bobby. Historian MJ Aslam said the hotel was the epicentre of Kashmiri hospitality till the 1940s. Lord Mountbatten and Edwina stayed there, as did Maharajas of Gwalior and Kolhapur. In 1955, it hosted a top-level Soviet delegation led by Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin. Major Gen Hiralal Atal referenced it in his memoirs Nehru's Emissary in Kashmir. Despite its pedigree, the legal foundations crumbled. Govt had leased the 12-plus acre property to Col Harry Nedou in 1963. That lease expired in Dec 1985. The Nedou family petitioned for renewal but received no formal response for years. In 2015, GDA informed them that the administrative department had rejected the request. A show-cause notice was issued the same year. The family, represented by Umer Khaleel Nedou, took the matter to J&K high court. Their petition cited a 2009 committee formed to review such leases and submitted rent receipts of Rs 12,272 from the 1980s. The court didn't agree. A division bench ruled on Sept 6, 2018, that no rent had been paid since 1990. 'The property has been occupied without legal right for over 28 years,' it said. The Supreme Court later upheld the judgment, dismissing the family's special leave petition. For years, however, no action followed — until now. With the takeover, Gulmarg's past — stitched together with colonial footsteps, princely holidays, and Cold War diplomacy — slips quietly behind a locked door.
