Hotel Skylark faces demolition in Jalandhar

Demolition of 56-year-old Jalandhar’s Hotel Skylark has begun. The outer facade of the iconic building has started falling, stirring emotions of the masses.

The oldies in the city have fond memories attached to the place – of their get-togethers, family functions and dine-out times as it was among one of the few hotels of the 1970s era in the city.

The city’s important intersection just outside the hotel also draws its name from it – Skylark Chowk. The roundabout is a point that intersects roads leading to Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, Jyoti Chowk and Namdev Chowk.

The hotel had been constructed by Niranjan Singh, who hailed from Johal Bolina village near Adampur. “The family had clothing business and later got settled in the UK but since Niranjan Singh was deeply attached to his roots, he decided to construct a hotel at the site. The construction work was started in 1965 and the hotel got inaugurated in 1969", said a close associate from the family.

Since the food preparation was very good, not just Jalandharites, but also the elite of that era from Hoshiarpur to Kapurthala are known to have been visiting here on the weekends to savour their favourite mutton tikkas, cheese balls and fish delicacies.

“My father was posted with the PWD in Hoshiarpur. Whenever he would visit Jalandhar for meetings, Skylark was his go-to place. He would have meetings there, followed by lunch or dinner. He used to enjoy the food there so much that he would take us as well to Skylark once in a month. So, when I got to know that the old building is being razed, I was a bit emotional for a while. The owners have retained the old charm for quite sometime not changing much of it in 56 years which itself was a big achievement", said Harpreet Singh of Hoshiarpur.

After Niranjan Singh, his son Iqbal Singh took care of the hotel. Iqbal passed away last year. There have been reports that his family have now sold out the hotel to Kapurthala’s Saffron group, who is mulling construction of a commercial complex at the prime location along with some other builders.

However, Iqbal’s wife Poonam and son Karamvir Singh Bolina denied having sold out the site. “This is our property. We are retaining it. It is our personal matter. We are just re-developing it. We may retain it as a hotel."

Awalpreet Singh of the Saffron group also did not reveal much as he said, “It is not my solo deal but a joint venture of some developers."

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Owners refute claim of property sale

There have been reports that his family have now sold out the hotel to Kapurthala’s Saffron group, which is mulling construction of a commercial complex at the prime location along with some other builders. But the owners denied having sold out the site.

“This is our property. We are retaining it. It is our personal matter. We are just redeveloping it. We may retain it as a hotel."

Jalandhar