Pune : The National Green Tribunal (NGT)’s Western Bench has formed a three-member committee to evaluate the environmental impact of horses used for tourism at Matheran hill station. The panel will conduct a site visit and propose preventive measures to curb ecological damage. The next hearing is set for December 23.
Matheran, a scenic hill station at 2,636 feet, attracts many visitors, with limited transport options like horseback rides and hand-pulled rickshaws. However, these activities are reportedly harming the local ecosystem. Resident Sunil Shinde, represented by advocate Tushar Kumar, filed a plea requesting the restriction of horses in the area, citing Matheran’s status as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) since 2003. The daily presence of around 460 horses and 200 ponies has led to over three tonnes of horse dung being dumped, causing air, water, and soil pollution and impacting public health. Shinde has suggested alternatives like eco-friendly battery-operated vehicles.
In response, the NGT bench, comprising Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and expert member Vijay Kulkarni, set up the committee with representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Matheran Hill Station Municipal Council, and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), which has been named the nodal agency. The committee has six months to submit a report with recommendations on minimizing environmental impact.
