National Green Tribunal: In an original application filed seeking directions for the protection of Matheran hill station which was facing environmental degradation due to the excessive use of horses for tourism and goods transportation, the Bench of Sheo Kumar Singh, Judicial Member, and Dr. Vijay Kulkarni, Expert Member, listed the matter for 30-01-2026, after being informed that the final report of environmental assessment by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University (‘BATU’) would be submitted after carrying out the testing scheduled for September to December 2025 and subsequent evaluation of test results.
The applicants contended that Matheran, a hill station in Maharashtra, was part of an Eco-Sensitive Zone (‘ESZ’) and was facing serious environmental degradation due to the excessive use of horses for tourism and goods transportation. They stated that there were 460 horses and 200 ponies operating daily, resulting in over 3 tonnes of horse dung being dumped across the valley, damaging the ecology. This resulted in air, water, and land pollution, which, in turn, affected the health of the people. Accordingly, they sought directions for the State to reduce the plying of horses in Matheran to save the environment of Matheran from further deterioration and suggest alternatives for eco-friendly transportation.
In the previous order dated 25-10-2024, the Tribunal stated that there was prima facie a substantial question relating to the environment. Accordingly, the Tribunal constituted a Joint Committee (‘JC’) consisting of:
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One representative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC);
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One representative of the Matheran Hill Station Municipal Council; and
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One representative of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (‘MPCB’).
The Tribunal also appointed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board as the Nodal agency of the JC for coordination and logistic support.
Furthermore, the Tribunal directed the JC to visit the site in question, assess the environmental damage caused by the movement of horses, and recommend measures for minimizing the impact thereof on the environment.
In compliance with the previous order dated 25-10-2024, MPCB filed a reply affidavit wherein it was submitted that the JC took the assistance of an expert agency i.e., BATU, which has conducted the study in respect of the issue involved in the present application.
BATU, in its interim report to MPCB, stated that as per the first phase of the investigation, measures had to be taken to control the undesirable effects of horse dung presence in the Matheran area. The measures could be the adoption of effective collection and disposal of horse dung, imposing control on the number of horses, etc. However, the final report would be submitted after the second phase of testing scheduled for September to December 2025 and subsequent evaluation of test results.
Accordingly, the matter was listed for 30-01-2026.
[Sunil Ramchandra Shinde v. State of Maharashtra, Original Application No.210 of 2024, decided on 21-04-2025]
Advocates who appeared in this case:
For the applicant: Tushar Kumar
For the applicant: Aniruddha S. Kulkarni, Shubham Rathod, Rahul Garg, Manasi Joshi, Pooja Natu, and Deepali Bagla
