Madras HC Refuses To Withdraw Ban On Night Traffic Movement In Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve

After the court’s order, night traffic on the Bannari-Dhimbam stretch of the Coimbatore-Bengaluru National Highway running through the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve was banned from February 10

New Delhi: The Madras High Court on Tuesday refused to review its order banning traffic movement on the national highway stretch passing through the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR).

Hearing the matter, the first bench headed by Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, said that it did not order the ban but directed implementation of a notification issued by the Erode District Collector on January 7, 2019, imposing the ban from 9pm to 6am. The High Court bench, however, allowed impleading petitioners to file affidavits in a week.

After the court’s order on February 8, night traffic on the Bannari-Dhimbam stretch of the Coimbatore-Bengaluru National Highway running through the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve was banned from February 10.

When the pleas filed by advocate SP Chokkalingam came up for hearing on Tuesday, Additional Advocate General J Ravindran asked the high court to review its order, pointing out that the livelihood of the villagers and transportation of essential goods would be severely affected due to the traffic ban.

Former MLA PL Sundaram, a resident of Panampalli in Sathyamangalam, also filed a petition against the traffic restriction.

Appearing for the MLA, senior advocate NGR Prasad contended that essential commodities would not be sent to 144 villages located on the stretch and students of these villages would have to walk four kilometres to reach schools in light of the ban.

The advocate also pointed to an interim order of the Supreme Court that showed Bannari- Dhimbam road as an alternative route to Bandipore-Sultan Batheri stretch, where night traffic is banned.

Putting across his point, Prasad said that the ban on Bannari-Dhimbam stretch results in vehicle pileup all through the night, resulting in traffic congestion when their movement resumes in the morning. He further added that if rumblers are placed on the road, speed of vehicles could be checked and accidents could be averted.

Quoting the data of the forest department, the petitioner told the court that only 24 animals died over the last 10 years along the stretch, and that it was not even established if they were run over by vehicles.