Tourist hub Matheran shuts down indefinitely. Here's why

Matheran, a popular tourist hill station close to Mumbai has been indefinitely shut from Wednesday.

The move has come after an organization 'Matheran Paryatan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti' (Save Matheran Tourism Struggle Committee) has called for the indefinite bandh due to growing menace of horse owners operating in the hill station.

According to a report in Lokmat Times, a local Marathi newspaper, "The bandh is supported by the hotel owners, e-rickshaw associations, traders, and social organizations. Until the Matheran government shuts down the cheating enterprise, there has been a call for an indefinite bandh in Matheran."

The report stated, "There is anger in other business community against local horse owners who are fleecing tourists monetarily resulting in low footfall to the hill station.

The horse owners charge Rs 500 to Rs 1000 from tourists for a distance of 2 km and vehicles are not allowed to ply in hill station resulting in the declining of number of tourists," the report said.

The word, Matheran, is derived from 'forest on forehead' in Marathi was discovered by Hugh Poyntz Malet, the British district collector of Thane in 1850.

After which, the then Governor of Bombay, Lord Elphinstone envisaged it as a future hill station to beat the Bombay summer heat.

It is one of the smallest hill stations of India and is two hour drive from Mumbai city.