The high court on Monday stayed withdrawal of the ban on night movement of vehicles along Gundlupet-Sultan Battery National Highway 212 and Gundlupet-Ooty National Highway 67, which pass through Bandipur National Park. On June 9, the government withdrew the order issued by the Chamarajanagar district administration on June 3, banning movement of vehicles through the park from 9 pm to 6 am. The ban was supposed to come into affect from June 10. Advocate L Shrinivasa Babu filed a PIL in this regard alleging that the ban order was revoked within six days due to pressure from some quarters, ignoring the safety of animals. The high court had earlier directed the government to file its reply to the petition. The ban order was issued after a number of animals met with accidents on the roads at night. Vehicular movement was driving animals from their natural habitat, thus causing man-animal conflict, environmentalists had argued. After the Chamarajanagar DC ordered the ban on June 3, transporters and members of the public opposed it citing inconvenience. The ban was withdrawn after the CM’s intervention.
Source:TNN
Source:TNN
