JOIN US The movement of tourists vehicles and heavy vehicles on roads in Kali Tiger Reserve (earlier known as Anshi-Dandeli tiger reserve) has been banned from dusk to dawn. With this, night traffic in four tiger reserves in the State have been banned. The other three being Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT).
Deputy commissioner of Uttara Kannada has issued orders, a couple of days back, to ban movement of vehicles on three roads in the Kali Tiger Reserve from 6pm to 6am. The 18-km stretch from Anamod to Hemmadaga will be closed for traffic from dusk to down. The vehicles can take alternative route Anamod-Ramanagara-Khanapur which increases travel distance for about 10 km. Likewise, the night traffic on 20-km long Kulgi-Bhagwati has been banned. The alternative route for the said stretch is Bhagwati-Casaroli-Dandeli. Similarly, the vehicles are banned from plying on a 35-km long stretch between Potoli Cross and Ulavi via Gund. The vehicles however can take Potoli-Kumbarwada-Ulavi route.
The Forest department has not closed Goa road, that criss-crosses the reserve, for traffic.
The order issued by the deputy commissioner, however, does not ban the movement of local vehicles and ambulances. Check-posts have been erected to enforce the ban order. Presently, the Forest department officials are not imposing any fine on the violation of ban order. But they will start doing it from Jan 1, 2016.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Vinay Luthra told Deccan Herald that the ban orders are already in force and this is the fourth reserve where night traffic has been banned through a government order. In other places like Bhadra and Bheemeshwari, the department is regulating traffic movement between 6pm to 6am.
DH News Service