The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday blamed the National Green Tribunal for imposing heavy restrictions and environment cess on tourist taxis plying to Manali, saying the State is facing revenue loss despite record tourist flow after the Nepal earthquake.
The State government told a vacation Bench led by Justice A.K. Sikri that tourists for Nepal are now vying to come to Manali for summer, but in vain.
A May 5 order from the tribunal effectively clamped down on tourism by introducing stringent curbs as a means to prevent further pollution to the ecologically fragile Rohtang Pass and the Himalayan ranges.
The restrictions include payment of an environmental cess at the rate of Rs1,000 for petrol vehicles per visit.
For diesel vehicles, the cess is Rs 2,500. The NGT order further permits only 1000 vehicles to enter the Rohtang Pass a day on a first-come-first-serve basis. Of this, 600 can be petrol vehicles and the remaining 400 diesel.
