Highway blockade planned against High Court order

The council at a meeting held at Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad on Wednesday decided to launch an indefinite blockade of the National Highway from Saturday if the ban orders of the Deputy Commissioner of Chamarajnagar district are not withdrawn by Friday.

 A division bench of the Karnataka High Court had passed an order challenging the action of the DC in withdrawing the notification to ban night traffic on the Gundlupet-Sulthan Bathery and Gundlupet-Ooty highways.

 ‘Unrealistic'

 Even though the order did not apply to vehicles plying between 6 am and 10 pm, the move of the action council is to block all vehicular traffic.

P Krishnaprasad, Legislator representing Sulthan Bathery in the Kerala assembly, told Deccan Herald over phone that bus and truck operators would join the  strike. He said that around 100 trucks and 150 buses plied through the Kozhikode-Kollegal National Highway every night and the trucks carried essential items including vegetables.

“Imposing a total ban instead of regulating traffic along a National Highway is unrealistic and undemocratic. The Kerala Government is approaching the High Court against the order,’’ he said.