Himachal ski project off the blocks

India's largest tourism project, which entails an investment of $500 million and financed by the great grandson of Henry Ford, is off the bl...

India’s largest tourism project, which entails an investment of $500 million and financed by the great grandson of Henry Ford, is off the blocks. The Himachal Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Himalayan Ski Village (HSV) company, with HSV saying the ski village in the Dhauladhar mountain ranges above Manali would open business in three years.

HSV is hoping that all permissions required would be settled by the end of 2005, its managing director John Sims said on Thursday. The project’s first phase involves a $155 million investment, in which the village and skiing facilities would be completed with 250 hotel rooms and ski-lift equipment. “This would be capable of handling the Winter Olympics,” said Sims. In the second phase, 350 more hotel rooms and additional villas would be added.

Brushing aside concerns over infrastructure and government permissions for the ambitious project, Alfred Brush Ford, a director of Ford Motor Company, said, “As long as the government provides enough snow, we should be okay.”

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HSV has already received expressions of interest for partnerships from leading hotel chains such as Mandarin, Park Hyatt and Intercontinental. Even the Taj and the Oberoi chain have initiated informal discussions with HSV.

Himachal Pradesh stands to gain from an increase in direct and indirect taxes and an annual royalty from the company, which has signed a 99-year lease with the state for 50 acres of land that the village will occupy. “While the annual royalty amount is yet to be finalized with the government, it’s likely to be around 1-2 per cent of total revenues. The state will also gain on the luxury tax front, which is at 10 per cent,” an HSV official said.

The village will be situated at an altitude of 9,200 feet, about 3,000 feet above Shuru village, which is 3 kilometres from Manali. The top rung will be at an altitude of 14,000 feet — one of the highest ski areas in the world.

The architecture of the village will reflect the Western Himalayan flavour. “We want the architecture to reflect the mystique of India,” Ford said.

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Architects with experience in ski village structures will be working on the village, while a top engineering firm from the UK, SKM, will be executing it. SKM has been earlier involved in the construction of the Athens and Sydney Olympic arenas and the tennis courts at Wimbledon.