10-year-old order issued by Nilgiri District Collector a cause for confusion for Bandipur forest dept officials

MYSURU: A decade-old order issued by the then District Collector of Nilgiri district in Tamil Nadu has remained a persistent source of confusion for the forest department officials charged with the administration of Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, and the contiguous Mudumalai Forest Range in the neighbouring state.
The order issued by the then DC allowed traffic on National Highway-766, a part of which passes through the dense forest, till 10pm while on the other side of the border, vehicular movement is barred inside the woods after 9pm. However, following a meeting between forest department officials from both the states, a decision has been taken to suggest to the Nilgiri DC to revise the order, which is the bone of contention.
Owing to the discrepancy in the restrictions on vehicular movement in the two parts of the forest, officials in Karnataka were forced to allow vehicles from Tamil Nadu inside Bandipur after 9pm. The ban on night traffic inside the forest was imposed in 2008 to ensure unhindered movement of animals, particularly elephants in the dark. The entry gate at Melukamanahalli in Gundlupet, Chamarajanagar district is accordingly shut at 9pm, and re-opened only at 6am the following day. Officials stationed at both Bandipur and Mudumalai exchanged their respective views on the subject, and at the end of the meeting, they agreed to suggest to the DC in Tamil Nadu that revising the longstanding order was the best solution to the problem.
Director of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve T Balachandra said that, although it had verbally been communicated to Mudumalai officials to bar entry to vehicles near Thorapalli in Nilgiri district, it was not being strictly observed, much to the chagrin of authorities in Karnataka. “It takes anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes for vehicles that have passed through Thorapalli gate to reach Melukamanahalli. So, if any vehicle crosses the Thorapalli gate at 9pm, it will arrive in Bandipur at 9.15. We are willing to oblige vehicles from Tamil Nadu that come before 9.15, but not beyond that time,” Balachandra said.
The minutes of the meeting, authenticated by officials from both the states, has been sent to the Nilgiri District Collector. “Along with the Mudumalai field director, I will meet the DC to get this discrepancy set right,” Balachandra added.