Eco Report of the area - IIT Mandi

17. Similarly, in the event of allowing trade units such as grocery shops, tailors, photocopying
facilites to be established within the campus, or engaging transport services, local
inhabitants could be given priority.
18. Quality medical care is a major requirement of the landscape, and a referral based system
could be made available to local inhabitants.
19. 23 Kms from the landscape is the rather scenic village of Parasher at an altitude of 2730m
ASL. While the approach to Parasher is dotted with well preserved mature forests
representing native conifers and broad leaved deciduous forests, the village has an
ancient three pagoda temple and a lake. This place is of immense cultural and ecological
significance and the negative impact on this sacred land is the greatest concern of all the
stakeholders. That this revered land would become a picinic spot through laying new
metalled roads and emergence of trade units is a fear that local inhabitants strongly
articulated.
20. Evolving a strategy and action plan for long-term sustainable management of the Campus
cannot be successful without the involvement and support of the local residents. Women
are dynamic and would come in as major human resources when trained and utilized.
Such a scenario offers immense opportunity to the proposed Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development of IIT Mandi to engage in initiatives that could effectively combine
cultural, social and ecological concerns for responsible management of the Campus and
the natural habitats within the vast West Himalayan landscape.
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