Hotel Ashok shuts down

Hotel Ashok in Ranchi has stopped all its operations last Friday. A joint venture between Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and the erstwhile Bihar government, the hotel opened in Ranchi in 1988 and had been running at a loss for years.

The property has three stakeholders, namely, ITDC (51 per cent), Jharkhand (12.5) and Bihar the rest. Originally, Bihar owned 49 per cent stake but after the formation of Jharkhand, the stakes were split 3:1 following an inter-ministerial meeting under the chairmanship of principal secretary to the Prime Minister in 2004.

Around 30 staff of the hotel, who has not been given their salaries for the past eight months, have lost their employment. Most of them have been associated with the hotel since inception. Earlier the government had promised that they will be absorbed in the Jharkhand tourism department. However, no such information has been given to them until now.

The hotel is spread over 7-8 acres with 30 rooms, two banquet halls and lawns, and is located near Jharkhand High Court in Doranda.