BENGALURU: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday stepped in to clear the air about scrapping a ban on movement of vehicles at night through Bandipur Tiger Reserve amid reports that the Union government, with one eye perhaps on votes in Kerala, had recently proposed the construction of four elevated corridors in the reserve forest area to facilitate flow of traffic to Kerala.
Ruling out construction of such elevated roads, each measuring one km, proposed by the Union ministry of road transport (MoRTH), Mr Kumaraswamy told the media: “Bandipur issue is in the Supreme Court. I don’t know why this issue is raised again. Our government has not taken any decision. I don’t know why some people are creating a controversy.” The reasons are not far to seek. A letter to the chief secretary, Mr Y.S. Malik, Secretary, MoRTH, on the proposed construction of these elevated corridors, claims that Mr Kumaraswamy and his brother and PWD minister H D Revanna had consented to its recommendations during a meeting with Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari.
This claim came as a shock to wildlife conservationists as it was against the stand of previous governments. Secondly, Mr. H D Revanna had also announced a plan of constructing flyovers and steel bridges at several places and opening it to traffic 24X7 so that it would not cause any problems to wild animals! He also went to the extent of saying that the Kerala government had reportedly agreed to share the cost of construction that comes to around Rs 400 crore.
Third, a senior forest officer on the condition of anonymity claimed that during his recent visit to Kerala, the CM reportedly had a meeting with his party leaders of Kerala where they wanted him to revoke the night ban keeping in view the coming Lok Sabha polls, promising him two seats if he did lift the ban, adding that the Kerala government was offering to underwrite the cost of construction that comes to around Rs 400 crore. Environmentalists and foresters are outraged at the Bandipur flyover proposal.
Mr Rajkumar, a wildlife warden, refused to even call the nine hour halt of road traffic at night in Bandipur National Park a ban. Instead he called it “a relief for wildlife.” “There is an alternate route. Its only 34 kms extra that the commuter has to take,” he added. “We have only three per cent of forest area left in the country and within that if we will construct the road, imagine the catastrophic impact on endangered species,” he added. Another forest officer said, “I feel that the rich forest wealth of Bandpipur should not be destroyed at any cost. It is humanly impossible to create another Bandipur”. By DC
