Supreme Court Order Paves The Way For Change In Matheran

The Supreme Court’s interim order calls the paver-block bluff, directs monitoring committee to decide on their laying and validity of e-rickshaws in eight weeks, writes Gajanan Khergamker

In what is perceived as a win for environmentalists and horse-owners in Matheran, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice B R Gavai and Justice Vikram Nath has, in an interim order set to have strategic repercussions, halted the laying of paver-blocks in the eco-sensitive zone.

The installation of hard paver-blocks over the natural red soil of the hill station has led to accidents and deaths of horses and tourists. Ironically, the natural red mud pathways were being replaced by paver-blocks leading to the mess at the hill-station.

Paver-blocks have replaced the red soil in most of Matheran 

Applications had been filed seeking a modification of the earlier order of 12 May 2022 in which the court permitted the implementation of a pilot project for trial of e-rickshaws in Matheran.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan submitted that the directions by the Supreme Court allowing the plying of e-rickshaws in Matheran fails to take into account the historical perspective and the unique status that Matheran occupies.

Construction workers laying paver-blocks in Matheran

Offering e-rickshaws as an alternative to other motor-vehicles that may cause pollution drastically alters the 'Asia's only non-motorable hill-station' status with the thrust being on non-motorable and not non-polluting. The introduction of paver-blocks in the hill-station being a step in the direction that would ultimately motorise all of Matheran.

The issues of transportation of essential commodities or the commute of local school children and the reliance solely on non-motorised means of transport being evident of a colonial mindset bear little value considering the changes threaten to thwart the very mien of the hill-station and wreck Matheran's very raison-d'etre.

The forested hills in Matheran are buckling under severe soil erosion

It is a balancing act between the needs of a growing local population and the concerns of environment in an eco-fragile hill station.

The installation of paver-blocks across Matheran to 'facilitate walking' was followed by the introduction of e-rickshaws and a concurrent flurry in the installations of paver-blocks without paying any heed to the environmental concerns of the hill-station or its horse-riding community whose livelihood thrives on the safety of rides threatened by the paver-blocks.

Illegal construction in the hill-station, even on the sides of the hills, could trigger a disaster

The Supreme Court, in its interim order, has correctly laid down that the roads which have been in existence since the beginning were in use for hand-pulled rickshaws and horses plying in the zone and e-rickshaws too could ply on the same.

The Apex Court said "laying down of paver-blocks would destroy the natural beauty of the said city. Even in the reserved forests, there are no concrete roads and the safari vehicles are plying on the jungle roads."

The misuse of the forest leading to rampant soil erosion must be addressed soon

The Supreme Court directed the Monitoring Committee to take a call on the aforesaid two issues - laying of paver-blocks and the permission to e-rickshaws to ply in the zone - and submit its report within a period of eight weeks.

While the issue of laying of paver-blocks and the introduction of e-rickshaws in Matheran will now have to be tackled by the monitoring committee in eight weeks from now i.e., by 20 April 2023. The e-rickshaw trials had commenced on 5 December 2022 and would end on 5 March 2023.

Addressing the issue of paver-blocks on the hill-station is probably just a unilateral approach to the range of issues faced by Matheran that include gross violation of civic laws in the construction of concrete patches at the hill-station by illegal structures that the local authorities simply cannot demolish; the overcharging beyond MRP of almost every item or good sold on the hill-station; the stark absence of any fixed prices on services ranging from horse-rides to home-stays; and unpriced food and beverages in restaurants and outlets on the hill-station. 

That said, issues of animal cruelty that arise by barbaric overloading of mules and ponies transporting building materials and goods from Dasturi Naka to Matheran on a daily basis besides the use of horses for entertainment instead of transportation on the hill-station are bound to arise in the future.

Paver-blocks are symbolic and probably the first in the line of excesses to be addressed.

To receive regular updates and notifications, follow The Draft News:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube