Matheran locals want vehicular restrictions lifted, HC asks MOEF to respond

The Bombay high court (HC) has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) to respond to a petition which sought relaxation of vehicular restrictions

The Bombay high court (HC) has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) to respond to a petition which sought relaxation of vehicular restrictions in the ecologically sensitive zone of Matheran to ensure essential commodities reach the hill station.

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Matheran, which covers an area of 214.73 square kilometres, with an ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ) ranging between 0-200 metres around it, houses a population of 4,393 according to the 2011 census. In 2003, when Matheran was notified as an ecologically sensitive zone, motorised transport was prohibited in the hill station, and transport has since relied on porters, hand carts, and horse-drawn carts.

The petition filed by Suresh Lad, a former NCP MLA, and local businessman Ajay Sawant, states that since the lockdown, porters were not available and residents were being forced to pay more for essential commodities.

A single bench of justice SC Gupte, while hearing the petition through video conferencing on Tuesday, was informed that no vehicular movement, except for ambulances, fire tenders and tractor-drawn vehicles to collect solid waste were allowed in Matheran. The petitioner further stated that apart from the residents, there were around 25,000 tribals and farmers who lived in the vicinity of Matheran.

In light of these submissions and the fact that heavy vehicles like trucks were allowed at the time of a crisis in 2005, the court directed the collector of Raigad district and the MoEF to relax the ESZ norms to allow small tempos to enter the town with essential commodities. Lawyers for the state and Centre said that they would have to take instructions from their relevant officers for the same. The court directed them to respond in a week and posted the matter for hearing after May 11.

Umesh Dubal, owner of Gujarat Bhavan hotel at Matheran, said, “As owners of horse-drawn carts had withdrawn their services due to the lockdown, porters were charging a premium as they had to pull goods uphill. This was causing the prices of essential goods to increase. Hence, there was an urgent need to allow small vehicles to enter the town with some restrictions.”

Faizan Mahapule who runs the Shabbir Biryaniwala outlet said that due to the lockdown, many tribal villagers who used to come to Matheran to work had stopped coming.