Ford ski project: Himachal withdraws petition

In a major relief to a ski resort project, being promoted by Alfred Ford of the Ford Motor Company near the picturesque town of Manali, Himachal Pradesh Wednesday withdrew its petition from the high court.

The state government withdrew the LPA (letters patent appeal or intra-court appeal) pending in the court of Chief Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice R.B. Misra against the promoters, the Himalayan Ski Village, Advocate General Shrawan Dogra told reporters.

After quashing the show-cause notice issued by the state to the promoters, the high court last June directed the company to obtain the necessary clearances, including environmental, within six months.

The then Bharatiya Janata Party government subsequently moved the LPA citing another high court judgment that banned construction activity in the Kullu-Manali region on grounds of eco-sensitivity.

The present Congress government has already clarified that the company could go ahead with the project, provided it gets fresh clearances, including the environment impact assessment report.

"It's now up to the promoters to come to the government to pursue the project," Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy had told IANS.

The Himalayan Ski Village project, which proposes the laying of world-class ski slopes, and the construction of five-star hotels with an investment of Rs.1,581 crore ($293 million).