Kerala seeks Karnataka help to open Bandipur highway for traffic

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah assures Kerala's Oomen Chandy of decision on allowing vehicles to pass through the tiger reserve in two months

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday assured his Kerala counterpart Oommen Chandy that the state would take a decision on allowing vehicles to pass through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve within the next two months.

Replying to the Kerala chief minister’s demand for allowing vehicles from the neighbouring state, he said the national highway between both the states passes through the forest area and was closed following the directions of Karnataka High Court.

Talking to reporters after talks with Chandy, Siddaramaiah said Kerala had requested for opening the highway from the Karnataka side. “We cannot take decision against the court order. We will take a decision within the next two months,” he said.

He said Chandy had demanded to allow vehicles between 10 am and 5 pm and provide escort service. “We will examine both the suggestions from Kerala and take an appropriate decision,” Siddaramaiah said. He added both the states will have to file joint petition in the Supreme Court.

Chandy said the Kerala government was aware of the importance of protecting wild life. The escort system will help avoid damage to the forest and wild life. “If the Supreme Court puts restriction, we will allow limited movement of vehicles. In Kerala, the economic activity has been hampered. We are waiting for the final verdict,” he said.

The chief minister said it was his fourth visit to Karnataka in this regard and hoped that some relief will come through immediately.

He said officials from both the states will soon discuss various issues and a joint petition will be filed in the Supreme Court in this regard.

Karnataka’s law minister T B Jayachandra, public works minister H C Mahadevappa, energy minister D K Shivakumar, forest minister Ramanath Rai, cooperation minister H S Mahadeva Prasad and ministers from Kerala were present at the meeting.

Meanwhile, environment activists staged a protest in front of the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, against allowing vehicular movement on the Bandipur national highway.