Vatal protests Rahul Gandhi's advocacy for nighttime traffic inside Bandipur

Mysuru: Activist and leader of the Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha Vatal Nagaraj on Sunday blocked traffic on National Highway-766 for a good ten minutes to protest Wayanad MP and former All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi’s support to the lifting of the ban on vehicular movement at night inside the ecologically sensitive Bandipur Tiger Reserve .

Vatal rolled on the highway near the Maddur forest checkpost, barring passage to vehicles. Gundlupet police were forced to detain him in order to ensure resumption of vehicular movement on the busy road.

Urging both the state and central governments to find a permanent solution to the problem, Vatal said, “Lifting the ban on traffic at night, and the proposal to build flyovers inside the forest reserve will have a disastrous effect on wildlife in the reserve forest. The state government must continue with the existing policy.”

Pointing out that preserving wildlife superseded the need to boost economy, Vatal added, “Who stands to benefit by allowing vehicular movement inside the forest? Is not the safety and survival of wild animals of greater importance than the economy?”

Fearing the frightful consequences of allowing vehicular movement inside the forest, Vatal said that the reserve, which was renowned for its rich flora and fauna, would become a market for animal contraband. “The government must not relent to pressure of any sort,” he said.

Counter protest in Wayanad

On the other hand, protests were held in Wayanad district in Kerala, opposing the Karnataka government’s stance to persist with the ban on nighttime traffic inside Bandipur. Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi , in a series of tweets, extended his support to the protesters in his constituency. Expressing solidarity with the youngsters sitting on an indefinite hunger strike since Wednesday, Rahul said that the prohibition on traffic for nine hours on the highway was affecting thousands of people in both Kerala and Karnataka.