Reviving ski village project will boomerang on Congress: BJP

SHIMLA: Opposing any attempt to revive the controversial ski village project in Manali, BJP in Himachal Pradesh today warned the state government that the move would boomerang on Congress in the Lok Sabha polls.

"Congress has been accusing the previous BJP government of leasing out the scarce land for private universities and made it the party's main election plank but after coming to power it is ready even to give land to foreigners," senior BJP leader and former party MLA from Kullu Chander Sen Thakur told reporters.

He alleged that the state government appeared to be under tremendous pressure to give go ahead to the project.

Thakur said that while the previous Congress government signed MoU with the Ski Village and the BJP government headed by Prem Kumar Dhumal cancelled it on June 7, 2010, the people of Kullu had already rejected the proposal and even the promoters had to face stiff opposition from the local people.

He said it will affect local tourism businesses and the proposed villas and restaurants will be set on the higher peaks around Manali, "where abodes of large number of local deities and other sacred places worship are located".

"The local people would never allow the religious sanctity to be defiled," he said.

He said the area is also sensitive as China border is not far away from Kullu and also alleged violation of state's land laws.