Chamarajanagar: Hundreds of vehicles were stranded at the Maddur and Moolehole checkposts from 6 pm to 6 am on Thursday as traders and transporters in Wyanad in Kerala participated in a bandh fearing a ban on day traffic on national highways 766 and 67 cutting through the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka.
The two highways link Wyanad in Kerala and Ooty in Tamil Nadu to Karnataka and a ban on day traffic in the national park could cause huge losses to farmers and transporters.
Going by a conservationist, traders panicked after a rumour spread in Gundlupet and Wyanad that day traffic ban was likely on these routes.
The Supreme Court has already upheld the Karnataka High Court's decision allowing a night traffic ban on national highway -67 that leads to Ooty through the Bandipur National Park and on NH-766 that leads to Wyanad through it, The ban has been in effect for a decade for the safety of wildlife in the park. While there is no similar move to ban day traffic through the sanctuary, fears remain and a couple of days ago traders led by president of the Agricultural Marketing Produce Committee of Gundlupet, Prabhu, went on protest to oppose a round- the- clock traffic ban in Bandipur.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr Prabhu explained that agricultural produce from Gundlupet had a huge market in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and a complete traffic ban in Bandipur would spell disaster for both farmers and transporters.
