Maharashtra: Matheran locals raise red flag, as the three-month e-rickshaw trials begin

Wheels have joined hooves and heels as erickshaw trials have started in Matheran the hill station where internal commuting is done on horseback on foot or handpulled rickshawsIn May the Supreme Court green flagged erickshaws in Matheran paving the way for threemonth long trials Locals and Matheran lovers are irked at the erickshaw dress rehearsal and bitter that one facet of this holiday hubmdashno vehicles allowed internally giving it a unique charactermdashis slipping away like the red mud of the station slips between onersquos fingersAlso readMaharashtra Matherans mini train may come back on track by 2022 endMaria Vaz owner and manager of Hope Hall Hotel one of the oldest in Matheran in an email dated July 27 to Tanmay Kumar IAS Jt Secretary Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change MOEFCC stated first up in her communication that she trusted Kumar will intervene to save the Matheran ecosensitive zone and protect livelihoods of residentsSorry stateExcerpts from Vazrsquos email said ldquoPoliticians and bureaucrats have engineered a sad and sorry situation in Matheran You would know that Matheran is the smallest 725 sq km in area and the only pedestrian hill station in Asia The final nail in Matheranrsquos coffin is the trial run for three months of erickshaws ordered by the Supreme Court The electricity to run the environmentally friendly nonpolluting erickshaws is created by burning fossil fuels and the use of nuclear energy and their batteries when disposed of are an environmental riskrdquoDr PhD Rohinton Mehta coauthor Matheran A Mountaineering ManualVaz also pointed out that Matheran has frequent power failures at times ldquofrom 9 am to 6 pm and on at least two occasions for three days on the trotrdquo She also flagged danger to livelihoods of handpulled rickshaw wallahs and ghodawallahsMiddle roadAdil Gandhy a Matheran lover said ldquoWe understand that this is the age of evehicles although there are many negative factors about these too Yet this is about understanding the meaning of lsquoNo Vehiclesrsquo not even bicycles and the beauty and simplicity the charm of the hill station that comes from thatrdquoGandhy added ldquoThere may be transport problems from Dasturi Naka to the station or bazaar Maybe a middle path could be found with evanstempos bringing material to the station from 11 pm to 5 am In this way you do not disturb anybody do not alter the ambience too much and solve the problemrdquo he statedMumbairsquos Dr PhD Rohinton Mehta coauthor of a book Matheran A Mountaineering Manual claimed straight up that ldquoerickshaws will be an absolute disasterrdquo Mehta added ldquoThe red mud has disappeared and to ply erickshaws Matheran was paved with concrete paver blocks at huge expense completely ruining the aesthetics and charm of the grand hill stationThis will be a blow to the livelihood of the handpulled rickshaw wallahs too There are barely 20 surviving of the 97 that were there earlier There are 450 horses and mules in Matheran There are 200 horses and 250 mules with the latter carrying supplies to the station These will be finished What about the ghoda wallahs How will they liverdquo Here Gandhy interjected and said that he has been getting despairing calls from the horsemen of Matheran pleading for somebody to save themMehta sent the lsquoersquo for environment friendly argument cartwheeling out of the window as he said ldquoAs a mountaineer I know Matheran like the proverbial back of my hand I have trekked through a myriad routes Today as I go up the valley and to the hill I see plates bottles garbage tossed over by visitors Believe me in six months trekkers will witness batteries used in these vehicles that need to be replaced after a few months Has anybody given a thought to battery disposal These will be thrown in the valley The chemicals and metals from the batteries will go into the river Overall who is going to benefit The local political bigwigs who are unable to even trek to the top of the hill stationrdquo450No of horses and mules in Matheran