Notice to Himachal over neglect of tourist spot

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued notice to the state and 17 others for failure to develop the Mahasu peak, a tourist spot on the outskirts of Shimla, and encroachment of government land by a private resort.

Taking suo motu cognizance of a letter from tour operator Infinity Adventure Tourism, a division bench of Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan passed the orders.

According to the order made available to the media Wednesday, the letter said an entry fee of Rs.10 per tourist was being collected by the Shataiyan gram panchayat from tourists.

"A huge fund is being collected but it's not being spent on the development and sanitation of the area," it said.

The notification for levying of entry fee specifically mentioned that the fee was to be used for maintenance of the Mahasu peak and for toilets and sanitation, it said.

It also alleged that the owners of private resort Kufri Fun World have encroached upon government land and the state forest department is also acting on their behest.

The court will now hear the matter Sep 17.