At the public hearing — being held by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and essential for environmental clearance for the project — proprietors of Matheran Ropeway Pvt Ltd will be hoping that the prospect of more tourists enthuses the 6,000-odd residents of the hill station to welcome the scheme. “The tourism potential of Matheran, presently less utilized due to limited infrastructure and lack of transport options, will further improve after the ropeway is implemented,” said Vinaychand Kothari, a hotelier and managing director of Matheran Ropeway Pvt Ltd, in a written statement. The company claims the project will only minimally alter the environment of the hill station, declared an eco-sensitive zone four years ago.

Apart from expected reduction in the pressure on road transport “and consequently in the air and noise pollution”, the company says the use of electricity to run the ropeway cars along the 4.7-km route will mean zero emissions. “Tree cutting will be minimum,” said M R Tambat, the general manager of the company. “In fact, we will be planting thousands of trees.”

Not everybody is convinced. “The question is whether an over-congested hill station really needs further pressure on its carrying capacity in the form of more tourists through a new transportation system,” said environmentalist Debi Goenka of Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG), which was instrumental along with other groups for the notification putting a cap on industrial and other development in and around the hill station. Cable cars are not necessarily eco-friendly, Goenka said, adding that the forest cover would be significantly reduced.