The Centre has proposed throwing open the national highway cutting through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka for night traffic with adequate protection measures, but the state forest department is not in favour of it.
Karnataka government is not allowing night traffic on the NH-212 through the forested region, inhabiting wild animals including tiger, leopards and elephants to prevent their deaths in possible road accidents.
The movement of traffic through the tiger reserve is banned on this stretch from 9 pm to 6 am.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH) has recently proposed to allow night traffic and claimed that Karnataka government had agreed to give its consent.
In a letter to the Karnataka Chief Secretary, MoRTH Secretary Y S Malik hasalso proposed building four elevated corridors of one km each.
MoRTH's claim that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and PWD minister H D Revanna had consented to its recommendations during a meeting with Union Transport Minister Nitin Dadkari has come as a surprise to wild life conservationists, as it is contrary to the stand of successive state governments.
Also, the matter is presently sub-judice with the Supreme Court hearing a related case.
Malik has sought the state's consent to the proposed scheme, so that it can be submitted before the Supreme Court.
Following this, state Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar has sought the Forest Department's opinion.
A senior forest department official told PTI on condition of anonymity, "We have opposed lifting of the night traffic ban... Mostly the file is with the Chief Minister's office."
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