Central team to visit elevated corridor site between Muthanga and Gundlupet

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Top officials of the Union Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) will inspect the site for the 27-km elevated corridor between Muthanga and Gundlupet on Wednesday.

The transport and forest officials from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka met at the forest headquarters at Bengaluru on Tuesday and explained their views on the night traffic ban in the Bandipur tiger reserve.

The forest officials from Karnataka and the centre had met at Bengaluru on Monday and decided not to allow any relaxation on the night traffic ban through the stretch.

It may be recalled that a seven-member expert committee formed to look into the issue had rejected any relaxation on the night traffic ban. They said that any relaxation would impact the forest and nocturnal movement of the animals.

A top transport official told DC from Bengaluru that the meeting on Tuesday did not produce any results. Once the site inspection is completed on Wednesday, MoEF officials will submit a report to the union secretary. Then the officials of the National Highway Authority of India will take a decision," he said.

He added that the central government would then submit its report to the Supreme Court which will take a final call. Deccan Chronicle had reported on February 13 that a top transport department official had given a presentation before the MoRTH and MoEF officials on the elevated corridor. Accordingly, MoRTH secretary and a National Wildlife Board member will visit the Bandipur national park and see the stretch where the elevated corridor is being planned at a cost of Rs 250 crore. Kerala needs the elevated corridor only at a 5-km radius where wild animals, especially elephants, normally encroach.