New Delhi: The Central Government has suggested a permanent solution to the long-standing night travel ban in Bandipur, with a plan to construct a tunnel through the forest area. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has directed the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the construction of a tunnel beneath the Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary.

Rejecting proposals to build an elevated or alternative road through Bandipur, the government has decided that a tunnel is the best solution to avoid disrupting the wildlife sanctuary.

Also Read

placeholder

Six Kerala Government employees suspended for illegally receiving social security pension

If the tunnel is built, travel between Wayanad, Mysuru, and Bengaluru would be significantly smoother, and the decades-old restriction on night travel through the forest area would be lifted.

The announcement was made by Union Minister for Road Transport, Nitin Gadkari, during a meeting with John Brittas, Member of Parliament, who was visiting the Ministry’s office to extend an invitation for the Matrubhumi International Literature Festival. Brittas had planned to raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, but due to disruptions in the proceedings, he was unable to do so. Following this, Gadkari explained the new proposal in detail.

Gadkari also mentioned that the Kerala government had earlier suggested an elevated highway, but practical challenges raised by the Ministry of Forests and Environment, along with objections from the Karnataka government, led to the rejection of this idea. The alternative plan is now the construction of a tunnel, he said.

Further elaborating on the project, Gadkari instructed the member of the National Highways Authority of India present at the meeting to provide more details. Following this, he explained the plans.

The night travel ban currently applies to a 25-kilometre stretch of National Highway 766, passing through Bandipur, from 9 PM to 6 AM. This section will be bypassed by the tunnel route. As the Bandipur case is under review, the Centre is expected to inform the Supreme Court about the proposed tunnel project.

Rejected proposals:

  1. Alternative Road via Hunsur-Gonikoppa-Kutta leading to Mananthavady.
  2. Elevated Road and Animal Overpasses through the tiger sanctuary area.
  3. Alternative solutions on the existing highway, as suggested by a committee appointed by the Supreme Court in 2018, which recommended finding ways to make the road accessible 24 hours a day. The committee had proposed the construction of five elevated road sections, including one in Wayanad and four in Karnataka, each one kilometre long.

The Centre's new proposal aims to preserve the wildlife sanctuary while facilitating safer and more efficient travel across the region.