Management moves HC for stay on govt notice

Chennai, Apr 15 (UNI) The Management of the Woodlands Drive-in Restaurant, one of the famous landmarks dotting this metropolis, today moved the Madras High Court seeking a stay on the operation of the notice issued by the Revenue department.

The petition is likely to come for hearing tomorrow.

The petition, filed by the Hotel Management, said that they were running the hotel for the last 60 years after entering into an agreement with the Horticultural society.

''We are innocent on the litigation between the horticultural society and the governmment,'' it said and added that till date the hotel management had been paying the lease amount to the society.

The High Court directive upholding that the vast lands available around the hotel, belonged to the government, has nothing to do with the Hotel Management as it was not a party to it in the case.

The Revenue department's notice asking the management to close down the hotel within three days, would affect the public at large and the future of the hotel employees would be at stake, it said and prayed for a stay.

Soon after the High Court ordered that the sprawling area, which was used as parking lot, belonged to the State government, the government authorities banned using the open space for parking.

A day after Chief Minister M Karunanidhi visited the area, the Revenue officials issued a notice to the Hotel Management asking them to close down the hotel within three days, leading to the filing of a petition in the Madras High Court today.

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