Karnataka bans heavy vehicles to Tamil Nadu via Male Mahadeshwara Hills at night

BENGALURU: After successfully implementing a night-traffic ban via Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves for over a decade, Karnataka on Friday extended the ban to Male Mahadeshwara Hills linking Chamarajanagar in Karnataka with Palar in Tamil Nadu.
Chamarajanagar deputy commissioner Charulatha Somal on Friday officially ordered a night-traffic ban on heavy vehicles from 9pm to 6am with immediate effect, barring vehicles carrying essential goods, ambulances, government, private buses and light motor vehicles. According to copy of the order accessed by TOI, entry of all heavy vehicles with more than six wheels has been completely banned from 9pm to 6am via MM Hills in Chamarajanagar. Sources in the district administration said following the Madras high court's ban on night traffic on NH-209 passing through Dimbam Ghat, all vehicles were using the road passing through MM Hills.
"All the vehicles were going via Talabetta, MM Hills and Palar. But the road from Talabetta to MM Hills and MM Hills to Palar is not only very steep, but also has hairpin curves. Due to movement of heavy vehicles, the road was choked all through the day. This had a cascading effect on the devotees flocking to MM Hills temple from both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka," explained a senior revenue official at MM Hills.