Greens: Ban night traffic in Bhimgad

Belagavi: Activists concerned by the number of wild animals dying in accidents on roads passing through the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Belagavi and the Kali Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Uttara Kannada are demanding a complete ban on night traffic in the two protected areas.

Their worry is not unfounded as the Bhimgad sanctuary routinely sees leopards, sloth bears, the great Indian gaur, king cobra, spotted deer and jackals among other wildlife, being killed on the 15 roads , including three state highways and one national highway, that pass through it. 

Although the district deputy commissioner and magistrate had banned traffic between 6 pm to 6 am through the sanctuary a couple of years ago,  the  forest department has relaxed the ban to allow traffic until 9 pm on the Hemmadaga- Sindhanooru state Highway (SH 30) that passes through these protected areas. 

But angered by the many animal deaths,  eco-friendly organisations from Belagavi and Goa are now demanding the  ban be re-introduced from 6 pm onwards.   While the Belagavi deputy commissioner issued his order banning night traffic through the Bhimgad sanctuary in November 2015, the Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner  passed a similar order in December the same year. 

But confusion between revenue and forest officials and lack of coordination between officials of Belagavi and Uttara Kannada over the status of the Hemmadaga –Sindhanur road , which ends at Hemmadaga, but not before cutting through the Bhimgad forests and Kali Tiger Reserve, led the Chief Conservator of Forests to relax the ban by three hours in April 2016.    

Strongly protesting the move, activist Giridhar Kulkarni, points out that the sub committee appointed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests has recommended banning night traffic in core/critical tiger habitats/national parks and sanctuaries in the interest of their wildlife and doesn't  see why it should not be followed.