2,000 tourists land at Matheran, told to go back

Visitors were not allowed beyond Dasturi point of Matheran on Sunday

With Mumbai and its suburbs reopening slowly, about 2,000 tourists reached Matheran on Sunday, only to be sent back by the hill station administration citing Covid-19 rules. But the decision did not go down well with the locals whose survival solely depends on visitors. They held a protest demanding that the guests be let in.

The residents of Matheran, a popular tourist destination about 80 km from Mumbai, have suffered huge losses ever since Covid-19 struck last March. Some of them, particularly horse carriage owners, have been surviving on doles from good Samaritans from the city.

Sunil Shinde, the secretary of Shramik Rickshaw Sanghatana, said the chief executive officer of Matheran municipality pulled out the rulebook to prevent tourists from entering the hill-top town on Sunday.

"There has been a good amount of vaccination among the senior citizens and others in Matheran. So tourism should be allowed here because most of us depend on it for income. I hope environment and tourism minister Aaditya ji Thackeray takes note of this and the issue is resolved at the earliest. Else, we will have no option but to protest." Shinde said there was a huge line of vehicles with tourists waiting at Dasturi point. He also slammed what he called the "attitude" of local authorities.

Local body chief executive officer Prashant Jadhav said they can't go against government directives. "Matheran comes in Raigad district which is in Level 5 as per the guidelines issued by the state government. Apart from essential services, we cannot allow tourists to enter the town."

Empathising with the visitors, Jadhav added, "We know many came thinking they would be allowed to enter Matheran but we stopped them as we cannot go against government orders. A big chunk of our revenue comes from tourism and we also want Matheran to be opened for tourists. I have already spoken to the collector madam and she has assured me that she would talk to the higher authorities and try to address the concerns at the earliest."

Sources said a favourable decision could come in the next two to three days. The CEO also told mid-day that about 90 per cent of Matheran's 45+ population has already been vaccinated and this may prompt higher-ups to open the place for tourists.