Union minister of state for environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan will soon convene a meeting of representatives of the Karnataka and Kerala governments to resolve the row over imposing a night ban on vehicular movement through Bandipur National Park.

In 2009, the state government had imposed curbs on vehicular movement along NH 212 (Mysore-Gundlupet-Sultan Batteri) and NH 67 (Gundlupet-Ooty) between 9 pm and 6 am, citing a threat to wildlife. The Karnataka High Court upheld the decision in March 2010, after the Kerala government petitioned the court seeking lifting of the ban.

Unhappy with the ruling, Kerala has appealed to the Centre to intervene in the matter stating that a night ban on vehicles would severely affect its trade and tourism. Said B.K. Singh, PCCF (wildlife), “The ban is relaxed in the case of emergency vehicles. Some essential services are also allowed. But this doesn’t happen on a regular basis.”

The Centre has declared Bandipur National Park and surrounding areas as an ‘Eco-sensitive Zone’ to enhance conservation measures.

Traffic curbs to be extended to 12 hours

Close on the heels of the unfortunate incident in which a 3-month-old elephant was killed after it was knocked down by a speeding truck in Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary on Thursday, the state has decided to extend the existing ban on night vehicular traffic within the forest range from nine hours to 12 hours.

Deccan Chronicle