Bandipur night traffic issue raised in Parliament

The night traffic ban through Bandipur has been a contentious issue for Kerala, whose MPs have time and again raised it even in Parliament.

However, the Centre’s stance was unequivocal, as evident in the answers provided by the ministries concerned. M.P. Veerendra Kumar, who was then a Rajya Sabha member, had sought clarification from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2019 about the response of the government to the proposal for an elevated road over forests to overcome the ban on night travel in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve stretch. The then Minister of State Mahesh Sharma had said the MoEF&CC had not concurred with the proposal.

In a subsequent question, clarification was sought on whether there is a difference of opinion between the States of Kerala and Karnataka on the project. The reply from the Minister was that the Government of Karnataka had opposed any construction or opening up of the road passing through the tiger reserve during night.

When Rahul Gandhi was the Lok Sabha member from Wayanad, he had put a set of six questions to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on the issue. The Minister in his written reply had said that a meeting of the committee of secretaries chaired by the Union Cabinet Secretary was held on February 18, 2019, wherein it was recommended that the status quo shall be maintained… as it is a core area of wildlife habitat and an alternative route is already available for night-time traffic and four buses and emergency vehicles are already permitted.”