SC bans ‘inhuman’ hand-pulled rickshaws in Maharashtra's hill station Matheran

Terming it “inhuman” practice, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra Government to stop hand-pulled rickshaws operated in Matheran — a hill station thronged by lakhs of tourists in peak seasons and switch over to e-rickshaws within six months.

“Permitting such a practice, which is against the basic concept of human dignity in a country like India, a developing country, belittles the constitutional promises of social and economic justice,” a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai said.

“To continue such a human practice even after 78 years of Independence and after 75 years of the Constitution being enacted and promising social and economic justice to its citizens… would be betraying the promise given by the people of India to themselves,” said the Bench which also included Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice NV Anjaria.

Matheran is an eco-sensitive hill station where automobiles are banned except for emergency vehicles and it has long relied on hand-pulled rickshaws for transporting tourists and goods. Automobiles are banned here due to ecological concerns. Its special status was recognised by the apex court and the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a notification on February 4, 2003, declaring the hill station and the surrounding region as an eco-sensitive zone.

“We earnestly hope that the state would tender necessary assistance in stopping such an inhumane practice,” the court said.

The Bench ordered the Maharashtra Government to evolve a scheme on the lines of the scheme in Kevadia, Gujarat, under which it would purchase e-rickshaws and give these to the genuine rickshaw pullers on a hire basis.