Kerala urges lifting night traffic ban in Bandipur

The state government cites people's misery due to the recent floods

The Kerala government has urged the Supreme Court to temporarily lift the night traffic ban for a period of six months on the national highway passing through Bandipur Tiger Reserve in view of “gravity of the flood and damage caused to the people” over there.

“In order to aid and expedite relief and rehabilitation operations and to ease the misery of the people affected by the unprecedented flood, it is imperative that night traffic ban which has been imposed on the national highway be relaxed and movement of vehicles be allowed as a one-time measure for six months,” an application filed by the Kerala government stated.

Pointing out massive damage including loss 486 lives, and grievous injuries to 70 others, the state government said that the movement of vehicles carrying goods should be allowed for the needy people, as it depended upon the neighbouring states for supply of milk, vegetables etc.

On Friday, the Supreme Court, however, deferred its hearing in the matter arising out of Kerala's special leave petition against the Karnataka High Court's order of March 9, 2010 imposing the night traffic ban between 9 pm and 6 am on the national highway passing through Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman and Navin Sinha adjourned the hearing in the case on a request made by the Karnataka government's counsel Anitha Shenoy as she had circulated a letter seeking time of four weeks to respond to the Union government's proposal of constructing elevated road to end the impasse.

The deputy conservator of forest wildlife division, Tiger Project, Bandipur division of Chamarajnagar district had on June 3, 2009 passed an order under the Motor Vehicle Act, prohibiting traffic of motor vehicles of all kinds on national highway number 212 between Gundlupet and Sulthan Bathtery and on the national highway number 67 between Gundlupet and Ooty.

This order was lifted within days on June 10, 2009, various representations had claimed that the order may cause inconvenience to the people of Waynad and Kerala.

However, L Srinivasa Babu, an advocate, challenged the decision before the high court, which restored the ban.