KALPETTA: Hundreds of bikers participated in a bike rally organised by the youngsters’ collective ‘Freedom to Move’, a platform of countless WhatsApp groups against the 8-year old ban on night traffic in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and Bandipur National Park on the National Highway 766 (formerly NH 212) connecting Kollegal in Karnataka with Kozhikode in Kerala. The rally which started at 2 pm from Muthanga, at the Kerala–Karnataka border ended by 3.30 at Kalpetta.
The movement was an offshoot of ‘jalikkattu agitation’ in Tamil Nadu. The youngsters formed WhatsApp groups in the name ‘Freedom to Move’ for coordination of activities. Noolppuzha panchayat president Shobhan Kumar flagged off the rally. The participants displayed placards and distributed pamphlets demanding opening of the highway for night traffic and also urging the political leadership of both the states to take a serious note of the youngsters’ movement.
Sulthan Bathery MLA I.C. Balakrishnan and Kalpetta MLA C.K. Saseendran jointly inaugurated the concluding ceremony at Kalpetta. Addressing the gathering Mr Saseendran said that a discussion was already held with the ministers from Karnataka. It is to be recalled that Manoj Kumar Meena, Chamaraj Nagar district collector in Karnataka passed the ban orders on ‘night traffic’ on June 3, 2009. through NH 766 (Kollegal - Kozhikode Road) and NH 67 (Gundelpett-Ooty Road), both passing through the Bandipur wildlife sanctuary,
