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HP re-allots 5 eco-sites to ‘BJP-favoured’ firms
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 25
The wildlife wing of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department has re-allotted five eco-tourism sites -- after substantially hiking the bidding amount -- for five years to the same companies that had rented those in 2009.

Alleging favouritism, the ruling Congress had on umpteen occasions demanded a probe both on the floor of the Assembly as well as outside into the grant of these sites. This was a part of the Congress chargesheet against the Dhumal regime.

The term of the agreement signed by the firms in 2009 — when the BJP was in power — ended in January 2014. Now, the same companies have been re-allotted the sites till 2019. Though 10 sites had been given on rent in 2009, five became operational and the remaining were surrendered.

The five operational sites are: Ala Fort rest house, Dalhousie, and Shoghi camping site rented out to Tarangan Developers Pvt Ltd; Barog camp sites being run by Sanjeev Kumar from Naina Devi; Chewa camping site near Barog and Moti Kunah hilltop camping site run by Dinesh Goverdhan from Solan. Tarangan Developers Pvt Ltd, the only company from outside the state running an eco-tourism site in Himachal, had surrendered the three other sites allotted to it.

“As there was a provision that the allotment would be renewed, the sites are run successfully, we have given those again to the same companies,” said a senior officer.