In a major step towards reviving Kufri’s ailing ecology, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed strict daily limits on tourist and horse activity along the Kufri-Mahasu trail in Shimla district. The order, delivered on October 14 by Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel, allows only 293 horses and 2,232 tourists per day, based on the Cifuentes ecological methodology for carrying capacity.

The decision follows growing concern over the degradation of the Kufri reserved forest, once celebrated for its pristine ski slopes and iconic presence in old Bollywood films. Over the years, unregulated horse rides, unscientific management and unchecked tourist inflow have turned the once-scenic hill station into an environmental hotspot. Mounds of horse dung littered the tr

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