Protest held against ropeway project in Himachals Mandi
PTI
Shimla, Jul 25 (PTI) Protests against the proposed 'Bijili Mahadev Ropeway Project' spread from Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district to the neighbouring town of Mandi, with several organisations joining a march to Seri Ground against the project.
Addressing the protesters, Manish Vats, convener of Himachal Dev Sena called for the project to be dropped, saying it would 'spoil the sanctity" of religious shrines in the name of religious tourism.
'The community will not tolerate any interference with faith or nature. In case the government is keen to promote tourism, they should look for alternative locations and spare religious places and shrines," he added.
He said that for the first time, the famous Shiv Temple has been closed for devotees during the auspicious month of 'Shravan', with visitors being redirected to have 'darshan' from outside, adding that there would be no compromise with the 'purity" of temples.
The Bijili Mahadev temple is located at a distance of 14 km from Kullu and it takes a three-hour trek to get there.
Despite strong local opposition, the government has decided to construct the ropeway. PTI BPL SMV SMV SKY SKY SKY
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