Himachal HC takes notice of muck-dotted Kufri

The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday took serious note of the deteriorating basic amenities in Kufri which, a petitioner said, is dotted with muck.

Issuing notice to the Special Area Development Authority Kufri, just half an hour drive from state capital Shimla, the court directed amicus curiae N.K. Thakur to give suggestions within three weeks for improving the amenities in Kufri.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, while listing the case for next hearing on December 5, passed these orders on a petition treated as a public interest litigation of Rakesh Mehta, a resident of Kufri.

The petitioner said a large amount of money from the public exchequer is being spent on the development of tourism activities in this area by the government but the condition of the area has deteriorated.

Members of the hospitality industry told IANS that poor parking, lack of cleanliness, haphazard construction, high intensity of human activity and deforestation have marred Kufri's image of a lover's paradise located at 2,510 metres above sea level.

--IANS

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