Maharashtra tourism plans casinos, discotheques in Matheran

Maharashtra tourism plans casinos, discotheques in Matheran
Nov 29, 2012, 02.09AM IST TNN[ Sharad Vyas ]

MUMBAI: Matheran, that quaint old hill station close to Mumbai, may be headed for a sea-change. Struggling to make a fair case for any new hill station project after the Lavasa experience, the Maharashtra government now has grand plans to revive Matheran as an entertainment-cum-leisure hub.

If all goes according to plan, the tony hill station nestled in the Western Ghats could well boast of a night life rivalling Mumbai's, including casinos, discotheques, music halls and swanky parking arenas. Currently, the only casinos in India are located offshore in Goa. The only hitch: Matheran is a declared eco-sensitive zone, restricting development and movement of vehicles within the region. State government sources say they may have to get an NOC from the Union ministry of environment and forest.

The decision to repackage the hill station—including wide roads and regular water supply—was taken during a meeting with chief secretary JK Banthia on November 6.

Thereafter, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) was asked to prepare a detailed project plan on the lines discussed. The idea is to give a boost to tourism as well as the existing facilities that are being provided at the hill station. Matheran receives scant tourist flow in the monsoon months of June to August as even train services do not operate then.

The government will look to ensure adequate infrastructure to ensure year-long access to the spot. Also, the plan will ensure 24x7 water supply by tapping alternative means. Water is currently being drawn from the Ulhas river and takes up a lot of time and finance. There are other two sources—Charlotte lake and Simpson tank—which supply water for a brief period in the day.

The chairman of the high-level monitoring committee (HLMC) of Matheran (an area declared eco-sensitive in 2003), V Ranganathan, said the government must prepare plans which are in tune with the ecology of the area and keeping the expected noise and pollution levels in mind. "Whatever is the idea of development of Matheran, the government must keep all environmental aspects in mind and only then present a proposal to us. They must also remember that most of the structures in the hill station have heritage status and so permission of the Matheran Heritage Committee will be required before any drastic alterations," he told TOI.

Matheran was constructed as a hill station by the British in 1850 because of its closeness to Mumbai. It was thereafter given on lease in 1897. The lease expired in 1997. The existing population of Matheran is estimated at 4,000, and during peak season nearly 12,000 tourists visit it daily.


Keep ecology in mind, state warned

After the November 6 meeting on repackaging Matheran, MTDC was asked to prepare a detailed project plan on the lines discussed.

The idea is to give a boost to tourism as well as the existing facilities at the hill station. Matheran receives scant tourist flow in the monsoon months of June to August as even toy trains do not operate then. The state will look to ensure adequate infrastructure to ensure year-long access to the spot. Also, the plan will ensure 24x7 water supply by tapping alternative means. Water is currently being drawn from the Ulhas river and takes up a lot of time and finance. There are two other sources—Charlotte Lake and Simpson tank—which supply water for a brief period in the day.

The chairman of the high-level monitoring committee of Matheran (an area declared eco-sensitive in 2003), V Ranganathan, said the government must prepare plans in tune with the ecology of the area and keeping the expected noise and pollution levels in mind. "Whatever is the idea of development of Matheran, the government must keep all environmental aspects in mind and only then present a proposal to us.

They must also remember that most structures in the hill station have heritage status and so permission of the Matheran Heritage Committee will be required before any drastic alterations," he told TOI. Nearly 12,000 tourists visit Matheran daily during the peak season.

This is absurd. It is like planning to convert a reserve forest into an amusement park.
Unfortunately, this problem started, albeit on a small scale, about 5-7 years ago, when a few swanky restaurants playing very loud music in the evenings came up in Matheran. Even before that (say 10-12 years ago), some hotels and resorts introduced the idea of loud parties at night in Matheran. The same hotels also started dumping sewage down the mountain sides for easy disposal. Some of the people I know, who have been running small hotels/simple accomodation facilities in Matheran as a family business since time immemorial, were appalled at this, but then apparently no one dared raise their voice against the big tycoons who set up these new resorts.
I am not sure how they can "plan in tune with the ecology of the area". Noise pollution limits are applicable in cities, I don't know how they would decide the limits in an eco-sensitive zone.

The only sensible thing here would be to scrap these plans...

Story of the quiet and scenic hill station.....No changes whatsoever either in the plot, the diction, the charcters or the end... I had recently been to Ooty after a log gap, although I knew what was in store even then was stunned to see the disfiguring of this place. Most of the well know places are already there and newer ones like Waynad, Uttara Kannda and Coorg are well on their way I guess the story is no different else where in the country...sad but true.

TFS
Roopak