Horses and tourists are exposed to sharp wires jutting out of rock walls that border the hill station’s pathways, stakeholders warn of injuries, call for corrective measures at the earliest
A Matheran local shows the gabion metal cage placed on a rock wall along a pathway in Matheran. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
Introduced with the objective of enhancing the landscape in scenic Matheran, gabion metal cages placed along the rock walls bordering the hill station’s pathways have become a safety concern. Sharp metal wires protruding from the cage walls are not only endangering horses in the hill station but also posing a significant threat to strolling tourists.
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Kunal Chaudhari, a regular visitor to Matheran, said, “During my visit to Matheran, I noticed that the sharp metal wires jutting out of the gabion walls on the sides of the mud paver block roads pose a huge threat not just to pedestrians but also to horses. The sharp metal wires can cause serious injuries and the authorities should do something before any accidents occur.”
Dr Anil Lahane, a distinguished equine veterinarian, said, “Metal wires popping out of walls along the road will cause puncture or lacerated injuries to horses or riders. Injury on the eye may cause partial to complete blindness. Injuries caused by metal wires would definitely need immediate surgical intervention.”
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) carried out Matheran beautification work at four viewing points — Panorama Point, Heart Point, Miyra Point and Echo Point, and improvement work at Dasturi Matheran Pathway and at the existing parking area for tourists.
Since Matheran is an eco-sensitive zone, MMRDA took into account all environmental concerns and suggestions given by the Matheran Monitoring Committee (MMC), formed in 2017, while undertaking the beautification work. The work was started in April 2018. The work of Dasturi Matheran Pathway beautification was done in September 2019.
Following restrictions brought in place in the eco-sensitive zone of Matheran, no vehicles except ambulances and fire engines are allowed beyond Dasturi naka. Pathways beyond Dasturi naka, measuring 5.6 km, were kutcha roads that caused dust, required regular maintenance, and made it difficult to walk and pull carts carrying goods.
To overcome these problems, the MMRDA had proposed improvement/upgradation of the pathways with street lights and other facilities considering the MMC’s requirement on water percolation, prevention of soil erosion and use of eco-friendly material. It came up with eco-friendly mud paver blocks to pave the kutcha pathways with.
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