Several patrons of Airlines Hotel on Lavelle Road had to return disappointed on Monday as the premises remained closed.
The hotel closed operations since Sunday, following cancellation of their trade license by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in view of a dispute between the lessee of the land and the hotel owners.
However, a banner hanging across its closed gates said the hotel was closed for maintenance.
Hotel proprietor Diwakar Rao said his father S.N.S. Rao was given the sublease of the land by Kalarikal Thomas in 1968 and then renewed for another 60 years in 1995. “The trade license has been in Mr. Thomas’ name since 1968 and was later transferred to his son’s name in 2011 after his death,” he said.
“However, Kalarikal Thomas’ son Kurien Thomas has opted to surrender the trade license for the hotel and BBMP issued a notice that we were running the hotel without a license and set a seven-day deadline to close down,” Mr. Rao said.
Diwakar Rao said he has now appealed to the High Court for a stay order and to direct BBMP to issue a new trade license for the hotel in his name. The case is to be heard at the High Court on Tuesday.
