Elevated road: activist threatened

Even as like-minded nature lovers and environmentalists plan to stage a protest against the proposed elevated roads in Bandipur Tiger Reserve in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in the city on Thursday, an activist has received a threat call on Wednesday morning. The protest is expected to be held on Thursday at 11 am.

Tanuja Dasharath Haunsbhavi, of Keystone Foundation and Nature Conservation Foundation, posted the following at 6.45 am on her Facebook wall: “Just got a threatening call from Sulthan Battery, Kerala, by named Biju, from 7559060919, asking not to go ahead with protest, saying that a huge mafia is behind in Kerala. I told him, we can accommodate his talk as well in tomorrow’s protest and he can put forth his views.” (sic)

Tanuja said she has invited the person who threatened her, to come to the place where the protest will be held to present his side of the argument. “He has agreed to come to Mysuru on Thursday. So, I have lodged a complaint against him,” she said.

DH had published a report ‘Activists oppose elevated road project inside Bandipur forest’ on Tuesday. It may be recalled that Ranga, a tamed elephant of Mathigodu camp under Nagarahole National Park, was killed after a private bus rammed into the jumbo during the wee hours of Monday.

The activists said, if the night traffic ban was in place in Nagarahole, like in Bandipur, the mishap could have been averted.

In the wake of the night-traffic ban in Bandipur, since 2009, vested interests are seeking elevated roads inside the forest, they said.