The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to submit a report on whether it was necessary to lay paver blocks on roads in Matheran — a hill station located 83 kilometres away from Mumbai — to avoid soil erosion, news agency PTI reported.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih passed the order while hearing an application over the laying of paver blocks on the mud roads of Matheran, PTI reported.
The applicant`s counsel claimed that the attempt was to motorise the hill town near Mumbai, where automobiles are currently not allowed.
While claiming that the exercise was necessary to stop soil erosion, the state`s counsel said the decision to lay clay paver blocks in place of concrete paver blocks was being mulled over, PTI reported.
“We find that it will be appropriate that the NEERI… examines the issue,” the bench said.
Calling for a report within four weeks, the Supreme Court bench asked NEERI to examine certain aspects, including whether it was necessary to install paver blocks to avoid soil erosion aside from finding out an another alternative.
According to PTI, the court directed the state government to make necessary arrangements and provide all facilities to the experts from the institute for conducting the inspection.
The bench observed that the state had previously, on an experimental basis, permitted the use of e-rickshaws in Matheran, solely for the purpose of rehabilitation of those pulling hand rickshaws.
The apex court also referred to its observation that permitting manual rickshaws in the present age was against human rights.
On January 10 last year, the apex court said e-rickshaws would be provided only to those pulling hand-rickshaws in order to compensate them for their loss of employment.
In April 2024, the court limited the number of e-rickshaws in Matheran to 20 until further orders but permitted the e-rickshaw owners, who were earlier handcart pullers, to use the same for transporting tourists and the local population.
Three months later, the top court asked the principal district judge of Raigad to conduct an inquiry through a judicial officer into the dispute over the allotment of e-rickshaws.
Some applicants in the matter alleged in the court that e-rickshaws were not allotted to the original hand-rickshaw pullers but to hotel owners, among others.
(With PTI inputs)
