Read the passage and answer the following questions:

The founding and settling of hill stations were initially connected with the needs of the British Army. Simla was founded during the course of the Gurkha War (1815-16); the Anglo-Maratha War of 1818 led to British interest in Mount Abu; and Darjeeling was wrested from the rulers of Sikkim in 1835.
Hill stations became strategic places for billeting troops, guarding frontiers and launching campaigns against enemy rulers. The temperate and cool climate of the Indian hills was seen as an advantage, particularly since the British associated hot weather with epidemics.
Cholera and Malaria were particularly feared and attempts were made to protect the army from these diseases. The overwhelming presence of the army made these stations a new kind of cantonment in the hills. The hill stations were also developed as sanitariums, i.e., places where soldiers could be sent for rest and recovery from illness. Because the hill stations approximated the cold climates of Europe, they became an attractive destination for the new rulers. It became a practice for Viceroys to move to hill stations during the summer months. In 1864, Viceroy John Lawrence officially moved his council to Simla, setting the seal to the practice of shifting capitals during the hot season. Simla also became the official residence of the commander-in-chief of the Indian army.

In the given question, a statement of Assertion is followed by a statement of Reason. Mark the correct answer.

Assertion: Upper and middle-class Indians such as maharajas, lawyers and merchants were drawn to hill stations after the introduction of the railways there.
Reason:  They were interested to buy as much property as possible in the cool areas of India to escape the summer heat.

The Assertion is correct but the Reason is incorrect.

The introduction of the railways made hill stations more accessible to a wide range of people including Indians. Upper and middle-class Indians such as maharajas, lawyers and merchants were drawn to these stations because they afforded them close proximity to the ruling British elite.