Kinkri Devi against construction of Ski Village in HP

Nahan, Jun 3 (UNI) Noted environmentalist Kinkri Devi has opposed the construction of Rs 3,500 crore Ski Village in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, saying it was a big fraud against the people of the state.

''Since the project will do more harm to the interests of the local people a good, it has to be opposed tooth and nail,'' she told reporters here.

Ms Devi, who has been honoured with Maharani Laxmibhai award, said the Ski Village being set up in Manali area of the district would have long term devastating effects on the people of the region.

Several rare herbs and animals would become extinct besides damaging the region's ecology, if the project was allowed to come up, the 74-year old environmentalist said.

She said several hundred thousands rare trees would be cut for the project, inflicting an irreparable loss to the region's ecology and on the lives of the people.

''Industrialists are here to earn money from the project and not do social service, as it was being made out by the state government,'' she said.

Referring to illegal mining in several areas of Sirmaur district in the past, she said the rural people were paying a heavy price for the illegal activity with several natural water ponds and stream drying up and mountains being bereft of any vegetation.

Ms Devi said the government should develop Himachal as a tourist destination instead of allowing big industrial houses to play havoc with the state's environment by allowing them to set up such projects.

Promising her support to people and organisations opposing the Ski Village project, the environmentalist said she would continue her opposition to it till the day she was alive.

UNI