KATHMANDU: Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has decided to revoke the decision of leasing of Nepal-India Friendship Dharmashala to Hotel Ananda Private Limited of Batas Group.

A meeting of the PADT Board of Directors Tuesday, approving a report of a panel set up to investigate the lease, decided to rescind the agreement, said PADT treasurer Narayan Subedi.

“The meeting approved the report,” he said, adding, “With this, the decision of the previous office bearers to lease out the dharamshala to Ananda Hotel has been revoked.”

The agreement with Batas Group to operate Hotel Ananda at the Nepal-India Friendship Dharamshala, which was built with Indian grant assistance of Rs 400 million, was reached on December 13, 2018.

The meeting also decided to take action against Hotel Ananda, concluding that the organization had not paid rent on time, allowed various offices to operate contrary to the spirit of a religious place, altered the number of beds at the dharamshala along with rates, built structures sans the approval of PADT, among others.

Stating that Hotel Anand has violated the terms of the agreement, the meeting also formed a three-member committee for taking action against Hotel Ananda Pvt Ltd. PADT Member Secretary Milan Kumar Thapa, Board of Directors member Devi Prasad Baral and Joint Secretary Dr. Tokraj Pandey are in the committee.

The meeting also decided to write to the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to initiate action against the officials, employees and contractors involved in the contract process, starting from the contract bidding.

While the agreement was signed with Hotel Ananda in 2018, Pradip Dhakal was PADT member secretary and the current Member Secretary Milan Kumar Thapa was the treasurer.