Ambarish to Build Himalayan Ski Village

[Guest guest]

Henry Ford IV comes to Himachal with a $300-m ski village

EXPRESS EXCLUSIVE

 

State Cabinet clears proposal by Alfred Ford's firm to build hotel,

chalets in the Dhauladhar ranges

 

SHISHIR GUPTA

 

 

Posted online: Sunday, August 21, 2005 at 0000 hours IST

 

 

 

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 20: For the fast-growing Indian jet set, the

fabulous ski slopes of St Moritz in Switzerland may soon be passe

with Alfred Brush Ford, great grandson of Henry Ford, keen to invest

over $300 million to develop a ski village in the Dhauladhar mountain

ranges above Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

 

The Ford proposal to develop a world-class ski facility, designed by

experts from Vail, Colorado, has been cleared by the Virbhadra Singh

government. The company set up for this purpose, Himalayan Ski

Village (HSV), will submit a detailed project report next month.

After getting an environmental impact assessment from the Bhopal-

based Indian Institute of Forest Managment, the company plans to

launch the project next year.

 

 

 

The company plans to develop world-class ski-slopes between Kothi and

Jagat Sukh, north of Manali, with gondola ski-lifts that will cater

to the well-heeled adventure tourists. A 600-room five-star hotel,

300 chalets, food courts, handicraft village, theatre complex,

convention centre and even a sanatorium for hospital tourism will

come up. The architecture will be on the lines of Bhimakali Temple of

Sarahan in Virbhadra Singh's Rampur constituency.

 

The business model of the project envisages three per cent of the

total revenue as royalty to Himachal Pradesh — it works out to more

than Rs 30-50 crore of what the state government earns from tourism

now. The state gets around seven million tourists every year and the

number is growing by 25 per cent annually. John Sims, Managing of HSV, said their project would set the benchmarks for eco-

tourism in India.

 

Sims said there would be a 2000-car parking in Manali, from where the

skiers will be lifted through gondolas to the village. At the

village, another lift will take the skiers and tourists to the

mountain tops at 14000 feet for skiing. ``The company intends to

begin construction in 2006 and complete the first major phase by

2009...after which India can become a legitimate contender for the

Winter Olympics,'' he said.

 

The project is the brainchild of Detriot-based Alfred Ford, who is

married to an Indian, Sharmila Bhattacharya. One of the directors in

the Ford Motor Company, Alfred Ford, Chairman of HSV, has a keen

interest in India and wants to lead investment in the country.

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