Srinagar, Aug. 6 -- The Jammu and Kashmir administration has taken possession of the 137-year-old Nedou's Hotel, owned by a relative of chief minister Omar Abdullah, in Gulmarg after it was served an eviction notice for occupying 98 kanals and 11 marlas of government land without a valid lease since 1985. The iconic hotel, is Kashmir's oldest since it was established in 1888 by European entrepreneur Michael Adam Nedou as a retreat for colonial officers and visiting dignitaries, was sealed and taken over by the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) on Monday. The hotel's original lease for two kanals and 13 marlas had expired in 1985, while it was occupying land measuring 98 kanals and 11 marlas illegally. The proprietor, Omar K Nedou, is the maternal cousin of National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdullah, the father of CM Omar Abdullah. The action was carried out under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1988, in compliance with orders issued by both the Supreme Court and the HC. The J&K government had rejected the hotel's request for a renewal of lease in 2015 owing to illegal occupation of over 90 kanals, followed by the dismissal of the special leave petition by the SC and the J&K HC order on September 6, 2018. The assistant director of tourism, acting as the designated estate officer, oversaw the eviction and transfer of premises to GDA in the presence of local magistrate and police. "The premises had been vacated by the occupants at the time of execution and the possession was duly taken over as per the law," the official informed. On August 2, the GDA's chief executive officer had instructed tourism department to carry out eviction within 24 hours. "It has been found necessary to take possession of the said property in light of legal directions," the letter said. Michael Adam Nedou's son Harry Nedou had married a tribal Gujjar woman from Gulmarg and their daughter Akbar Jahan later married National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, the grandfather of Omar Abdullah. The hotel was in the news in March when a fashion show was held on its premises during the holy month of Ramzan....