The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) — which has proposed to the State government to lift the ban on night traffic through Bandipur — seems to have overlooked key issues brought to light in reports by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and other agencies, including the local police.
A report submitted by the Chamarajanagar police to the NTCA pointed to the fact that before the introduction of the ban on night traffic through Bandipur, there were 23 accident deaths in the core zone between 2004 and 2009.
This declined to seven between 2010 and 2017 and all of them were on the stretch from Maddur to Moolehole gate leading to Wayanad during the daytime. Activists are riled that the Ministry of Road Transport, which should also accord importance to human safety, has ignored this aspect.
The NTCA, which is part of the committee constituted by the Supreme Court to look into the night traffic ban, stated in its report that wild animals such as tigers, elephants, gaurs, and other animals had behaviourally adjusted to the restricted traffic at night time and this was beneficial to the long-term conservation of these species. But the MoRTH has not taken note of it.
Though there are objections to the alternative road via Hunsur-Gonikoppal-Kutta and Mananthavady on the grounds that it was longer, the NTCA noted that the distance should be calculated from Mysuru and not from the boundary of the Bandipur tiger reserve.
The claims by some that patients are put to hardship if the forest roads are closed have been refuted by an activist from Wayanad. In a submission to the NTCA, the activist said the people in Wayanad have for a very long time been going to Kozhikode and Ernakulam districts for medical and emergency needs.
The claims that Kerala was dependent on Karnataka for vegetables and fruits was countered by pointing out that the APMC markets close at 5 p.m. andvehicles carrying perishable commodities had time till 9 p.m. to pass through Bandipur.
It was also pointed out that elephant movement during daytime itself was high on NH 766 and causing disturbance during night would only aggravate conflict situations.
‘State will oppose Centre’s proposals’
The State government will oppose the proposals of the Centre. It will not allow the construction of elevated roads or flyovers through the tiger reserve, said a senior Forest Department official. He said the Chief Minister was briefed about the pros and cons of the issue and he has agreed not to revoke the ban. “He is yet to sign the file, and once it is done, the reply will be forwarded to the Centre,” said the official.
Online petition gains traction
The issue has evoked strong response in the social media. An online petition through change.org has gone viral and is gaining traction by the minute. It has elicited over 7,100 signatures (as at 8 p.m.) since its launch on Thursday afternoon, and the petition ‘Please Save Bandipur Tigers- No Elevated Highway. No removal of Night Traffic Ban’ is being furiously forwarded over social media sites and mobile apps to garner more signatures.
The petition started by Naveen Krishna, is addressed to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka, Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India and the National Tiger Conservation Authority.