BENGALURU: Industrialists, who have worked around the Bandipur night traffic ban to run their businesses, say that they do not have a problem if the ban is extended round-the-clock. This comes even as the state Forest Department has clarified that there will be no extension of the ban to 24 hours. While protestors from Kerala have been citing economic reasons for keeping the stretch open, industrialists here are defending the ban on ecological grounds.
“It’s in the interest of the ecology and wildlife conservation,” said CR Janardhan, president, Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Janardhan said the economic repurcussions in Karnataka due to the ban are not significant. “The night ban has put a halt to smuggling activities and also put an end to the practise of truck/lorry drivers avoiding e-way bills. Earlier, more than one truck would ply using the same bill. Night patrolling has also reduced. All this will benefit GST,” he said.
The major trade between the two states via NH-77 is vegetables and spices. While Mysuru supplies vegetables and paddy to Kerala, the latter sends spices, said Suresh Kumar Jain, secretary, Mysuru Industries Association. “This puts additional stress on consumers in Kerala. While an all-day ban would force us to use an alternate route consumers in Kerala would have to bear the burden of excess transport cost, which translates to a 30 percent rise in the price of vegetables,” he said. In the past 10 days alone, about 6,000 lorries and good vehicles have plied on this route.
Farmers, tourists will be impacted
One of the key protesters against the potential all-day ban, Siddique, told TNIE that the route is important for two reasons - farming and tourism. “The ban will have an impact on farmer suicides. Several farmers from Wayanad shifted to Gundlupet in Chamarajnagar, and they will be affected,” he said.