New Delhi: The Supreme Court yesterday directed the continuation of the overnight traffic ban on the National Highway (NH) running through the core area of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. A Bench of Justice Rohinton Nariman and Surya Kant asked the Centre to come up with a permanent solution which would keep the endangered species away from harm by exposing them to Highway traffic.
The Court also “agreed in principle” that the traffic on roads passing through the buffer zone of the protected areas, should not be permitted. “What needs to be done is the strengthening of an alternative route. Therefore, we direct the Union Government’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in consultation with the Ministry of Environment and Forest to file an affidavit within four weeks with suggestions on the closure of it in long run,” the Bench said.
