Title - UNESCO heritage status for Matheran toy train in limbo

The Centre’s proposal to UNESCO to confer heritage status on the 105-year-old Matheran toy train railway is mired in controversy with the descendants of its founder Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy moving the Bombay High Court to rename the railway after him.The Court, while declining to grant interim relief, recently ordered that the petition’s hearing be expedited so that it is finally decided.Long ago, when the palanquin was the only mode of transport from Neral, on the foothills of Matheran, to the hill top, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy and his son Abdul Hussain Adamji had set up a railway at a cost of Rs 16 lakh in 1907.Four engines and accessories including the tiny tracks were imported from Germany.After Independence, the Department of Railways took over Matheran railway from the Peerbhoy family and promised to pay royalty to them. However, the amount still remains unpaid.