Bandipur night traffic ban: Activists, farmers take out rally in protest
Activists allege that Kerala's pressure has increased ever since Priyanka Gandhi became Wayanad MP
A group of citizens, farmers and wildlife activists under the banner of the United Conservation Movement (UCM) held a peaceful ‘Walk for Bandipur’ rally on Sunday (April 6), voicing strong opposition to any change in Karnataka government's decade-long stance the night traffic ban on NH 766 criss-crossing through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
The rally, which began at 10:40 am, saw participants gather at the Primary Health Centre in Kaggalada Hundi on NH 766, about 2.5 km before the Maddur checkpost.
Protestors marched along the highway, holding placards and chanting slogans in support of continuing the ban, which has been in place since 2010 to protect wildlife from road accidents and habitat disturbance.
Pressure from Priyanka on Karnataka?
Activists expressed frustration over mounting pressure from Kerala to allow 24x7 vehicle movement through Bandipur, which connects Gundlupet with Wayanad.
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Activists allege that Kerala's pressure has increased ever since Priyanka Gandhi became Wayanad MP, and the Congress government in Karnataka is planning to change its stance.
SC affidavit tweaked?
The ban, in effect since 2010, has helped reduce the death of wild animals by being run over by vehicles, apart from providing reprieve from habitat disturbance at night.
Though the ban was legally challenged, it was upheld by the High Court of Karnataka and subsequently by the Supreme Court of India which reinforced its necessity to protect the region’s rich biodiversity.
The issue came to the fore after Karnataka withdrew a counter-affidavit in the Supreme Court in response to an interlocutory application by a Kerala-based Baiju Paul Mathews, seeking to increase the number of buses plying through NH-766.
It was then that the activists in Karnataka smelt the potential trouble.
“For years, Karnataka defended this ban in the Supreme Court. It's clear that political pressure is behind this sudden change in stance,'' said, an activist leading the protests.
The rally saw strong participation from farmers and youth from nearby villages, who fear increased human-animal conflict if traffic flows unrestricted at night.
