Tamil Nadu to continue with night ban in Mudumalai

Chamarajanagar: Mudumalai Tiger Reserve officials in Tamil Nadu, which shares borders with Bandipur, have maintained that their stand remains unchanged on the night traffic ban. A senior forest official of Tamil Nadu told Deccan Chronicle on Thursday that night traffic ban in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve from Kekkahalla to Torapalli, covering a distance of 16 km, came into effect in 2014 and it has considerably brought down road kill incidents.

The night ban from Mudumalai side is enforced from 10 pm to 6 am. "After the ban was introduced, more animal crossings are evident," he added. "Road kills was one of the main reasons for us to impose night traffic ban and there is no change in our stand," he said. “Both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had earlier jointly opposed Kerala's efforts to get the night traffic ban lifted,” he said. His views were endorsed by another official in Mudumalai sanctuary who also opposed lifting night traffic ban or construction of a flyover as proposed by Union Government or laying railway tracks. Tourists moving to various destinations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and merchants in Kerala have got used to night traffic ban and plan their trips accordingly, he pointed out.