Shimla: Congress former President Sonia Gandhi is in a holiday mood.
She headed straight to her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s wooden cottage, located amid pine and cedar forests in the suburbs of the Himachal Pradesh capital, on Tuesday by road from Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. Priyanka Gandhi reached here on Sunday.
An official told IANS that Sonia Gandhi is expected to stay here for two to three days, and she is not scheduled to meet any party functionary during her stay.
Priyanka’s five-room cottage, nestled amidst the picturesque pine and cedar forests, with its wooden frames, shingled exteriors, and a sloping tiled roof, is a sight to behold. It is located at a breathtaking height of more than 8,000 feet in Charabra, some 15 km uphill from Shimla.
Priyanka, along with her children and mother, has a deep-rooted connection to the cottage. They visit it regularly, making it a cherished family retreat. The cottage is located just close to Wildflower Hall, on a four-big-plus agricultural plot that was purchased in 2007.
On one of her visits, Sonia Gandhi was shifted to Delhi during the night in October 2018 after reportedly falling ill during her stay in Shimla.
The cottage, spread over 3.5 bighas (a bigha is about 0.4 hectares), is situated at a height of more than 8,000 feet amid verdant pine and cedar trees.
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State law prohibits outsiders from buying land in the hill state. However, the Congress government in the state relaxed the acquisition norms under Section 118 of the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act in 2007 to facilitate Priyanka’s land purchase.
State Congress leader Vidya Stokes played an important role in helping the Vadras buy the three-and-a-half bigha (one bigha is 0.4 hectare) agricultural plot for around Rs 47 lakh.
The plot, surrounded by thick pine and cedar forests in Charabra, some 15 km uphill from the Himachal Pradesh capital, lies close to the President’s summer resort, The Retreat and Oberoi Group’s luxury spa, Wildflower Hall.
The work for the cottage was given to a Delhi-based architect in 2008. However, in 2011, the entire building was pulled down—not because of any dispute—but apparently because the Gandhi scion was unhappy with the building design and the size of its rooms, said party leaders close to the family.
The cottage, redesigned and reconstructed by Shimla-based builder Tenzin, is built in hill architecture style. It boasts strong foundations, an open terrace, a drive-in, and five spacious rooms with wooden interiors, shingled exteriors, and a sloping tiled roof, making it a unique and impressive structure.
Priyanka is among the few high-profile people who have built houses in Himachal Pradesh, and she and her family visit it frequently.
Notably, seven districts of Jammu and Kashmir will vote for the first time in an Assembly election in 10 years for Phase 1 polling on Wednesday, and the Congress party, in alliance with the National Conference, is contesting the polls.
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(File Photo: IANS/Qamar Sibtain)
