MUMBAI: About three years after the Bombay high court prohibited horse cart rides on 80 acres of the famous tourist spot at Table-land in Pannchgani, so did the Supreme Court on Friday.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde, Bhushan Gavi and Surya Kant said, “It is very clear to us, considering the topography, the high court is right in prohibiting the use of 80 acres table land by the horse cart owners.’’ But the SC directed the Panchgani Municipal Council to “set out a plan for providing a leveled track for horse carts within 20 acres demarcated for horse cart owners.’’
The horse cart owners had approached the apex court against a 2017 HC order denying them relief. They claimed to have been plying these horse carts for the entertainment of tourists for some time now. The land being considered was 100 acres. The Bombay high court had allowed them the use of 20 acres of land located on the lower side of the table land on which they may use their horse carts on “designated tracks’’, while barring them the use of 80 acres of the Table Land.
But the cart owners said it would be impossible to use the 20 acres as it was “extremely uneven and unsuitable for horse carts’’ and wanted to use the main table-land area itself but on a two-acre road.
The SC bench observed that “HC is also right in restricting the horse cart owners to the 20 acres of land below the table land.’’
But the SC found merit in submission by Narender Hooda counsel for the horse cart owners that it was a question of their livelihood and that the civic body should provide a levelled track for safety as against the present track which is ‘dangerous’ at places.
Kunal Cheema, counsel for the Panchgani Municipal Council stated that the possibility of providing levelled track for horse carts for the use by the petitioners, horse carts owners can be explored.
The SC thus directed them to explore the possibility of also “levying some entry fee tax or cess for generating funds for the same (leveling the tracks).”
The SC also directed the municipal council to “consider providing an alternative livelihood for horse cart owners either by formulating some scheme for purchase of taxis or allotment of shop areas at a suitable place to the petitioner horse cart owners.”
The apex court will hear the matter for compliance after six weeks.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde, Bhushan Gavi and Surya Kant said, “It is very clear to us, considering the topography, the high court is right in prohibiting the use of 80 acres table land by the horse cart owners.’’ But the SC directed the Panchgani Municipal Council to “set out a plan for providing a leveled track for horse carts within 20 acres demarcated for horse cart owners.’’
The horse cart owners had approached the apex court against a 2017 HC order denying them relief. They claimed to have been plying these horse carts for the entertainment of tourists for some time now. The land being considered was 100 acres. The Bombay high court had allowed them the use of 20 acres of land located on the lower side of the table land on which they may use their horse carts on “designated tracks’’, while barring them the use of 80 acres of the Table Land.
But the cart owners said it would be impossible to use the 20 acres as it was “extremely uneven and unsuitable for horse carts’’ and wanted to use the main table-land area itself but on a two-acre road.
The SC bench observed that “HC is also right in restricting the horse cart owners to the 20 acres of land below the table land.’’
But the SC found merit in submission by Narender Hooda counsel for the horse cart owners that it was a question of their livelihood and that the civic body should provide a levelled track for safety as against the present track which is ‘dangerous’ at places.
Kunal Cheema, counsel for the Panchgani Municipal Council stated that the possibility of providing levelled track for horse carts for the use by the petitioners, horse carts owners can be explored.
The SC thus directed them to explore the possibility of also “levying some entry fee tax or cess for generating funds for the same (leveling the tracks).”
The SC also directed the municipal council to “consider providing an alternative livelihood for horse cart owners either by formulating some scheme for purchase of taxis or allotment of shop areas at a suitable place to the petitioner horse cart owners.”
The apex court will hear the matter for compliance after six weeks.
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