THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The site for the Rs 250- crore elevated corridor between Muthanga and Gundlupet was inspected by the officials of the Union Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) and Kerala and Karnataka transport and forest officials on Wednesday. The inspection that started late on Tuesday night went on till 2.30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The night travel ban along the Bandipur-Mudumalai and Bandipur-Sulthan Bathery road stretches was imposed on June 3, 2009 by Mr Manoj Kumar Meena, the then Chamarajanagar district collector. The vehicular movement along the roads was banned from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. to protect the wildlife from speeding vehicles.
A top transport official told DC after the inspection that while Kerala wanted relaxation in the night ban, Karnataka remained firm on the ban.
“The case for relaxation will be taken up in the Supreme Court on April 10. So the expert committee will have to file a report. Already, Karnataka Road Transport Corporation’s 32 buses and Kerala Road Transport Corporation’s 40 buses are plying in the route,” said a transport official.
The National Highway Authority of India officials have suggested building a new highway under the ‘Bharatmala Pariyojana’ so that the existing stretch frequented by the wild animals is protected. The ‘Bharatmala Pariyojana’ is a centrally-sponsored and funded road and highways project. Karnataka forest department officials and environmentalists are opposed to plundering the forest wealth in the region. This has prompted the NHAI to suggest an alternative NH under the central road scheme.
