MYSURU: The forest department’s proposal to ban night traffic in M M Hills and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary to ensure the protection of wild animals has met a strong opposition.
Night traffic ban was enforced in Bandipur in 2008 and later it was extended to Nagarhole and BR Hills and the measure resulted reduced road accident-related deaths of wild animals. The State Government which recommended MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary be considered a tiger reserve has mooted a night traffic ban on the Koudhahalli- Thalabetta-M M Hills-Palar Bridge stretch of the highway covering around 35 km.
Though the Chamrajnagar deputy commissioner had called a meeting to discuss the matter, it was put off. The deputy commissioner is likely to hear forest department, MM Hills temple authorities, elected representatives and the public before taking a call.The proposed traffic ban from 9 pm to 6 am in MM Hills may hit lakhs of tourists from both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as the temple attracts lakhs of devotees, especially on new moon days, Mondays of Kartika month, Diwali and Shivaratri.
“How will devotees leave MM Hills when Mahamangalarati is at 9 pm and what will be the fate of the devotees who start late in the evening to attend early morning pujas and Abhishekas?” said Shekar, a devotee. He said the proposed ban will make a visit MM Hills a two-day trip and more expensive.Prakash, a shopkeeper, said the government should not experiment night traffic ban which will affect transportation between two states and movement of devotees to the hill shrine.Hanur MLA Narendra said the forest department cannot take a unilateral decision as more than 40 villages fall in MM Hills and Poonachai panchayats.
He said,” there are no villages along Bandipur and Nagarhole national highway. But it is totally a different situation in MM Hills which has a population of about 5,000. It is the only inter-state route that connects Mysuru and Kollegal with Salem, Dharmapuri and Erode”.“We will strongly oppose any such move as it will come in the way of livelihood and religious practice of the local population”, he said.