KASOL/KULLU: A violent hailstorm ripped through the controversial rave party site in Parvati Valley, smashing tents, flooding campsites and turning the venue into a muddy wasteland.
For a moment, it appeared that nature had revolted where the administration had failed, said trekkers camping there.
But the organisers because of big money involved bounced back.
As the weather cleared, the battered venue was reportedly reassembled and the five-day rave resumed, raising uncomfortable questions about the role of the district administration, police and the Sukhu government in allowing such a controversial event to continue in one of the Himalayas' most ecologically fragile and spiritually revered valleys.
The hailstorm may have flattened tents, but it failed to flatten the determination of organisers.
More significantly, it exposed what trekkers describe as official indifference towards a gathering repeatedly accused by locals of promoting drug culture, obscenity and reckless counter culture under the guise of tourism.
Residents recall that Kullu authorities had once adopted a much tougher stance.
During the 2018-19 crackdown on rave culture, district court directed police to act and imposed heavy penalties on organisers and diverted recovered funds towards anti-drug awareness campaigns.
Parvati Valley would not be allowed to become a sanctuary for narcotics-fuelled parties.
Today, many locals believe that resolve has weakened dramatically under vyastha parivartan.
The revival of the event even after the hailstorm has become symbolic of a larger governance failure.
Villagers, trekkers and environmentalists question why repeated issues failed to trigger decisive action.
They ask how a large-scale gathering allegedly accompanied by all-night music and reports of drug abuse could continue virtually unchecked in a sensitive sacred valley. .
"This is not eco-tourism. It is eco-terrorism against a fragile Himalayan ecosystem," is a sentiment increasingly being voiced across the valley.
As the controversial five-day rave heads towards its scheduled conclusion on June 11, one question hangs heavily over Parvati Valley:
Will the government finally act, or will it wait for nature to intervene once again?
The smashed tents, flooded camps and resumed partying have left behind a troubling image—of organisers who refused to stop and an administration that appeared unwilling to stop them.
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