Night traffic restrictions to continue in Bandipur

Mysuru: Forest Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre said that Bandipur forest area is a habitat for wild animals and action will be taken so that the movement of wild animals is not disturbed here.

Speaking at Media, Minister Eshwar Khandre said that the road route inside the Bandipur forest is allowed to go to Kerala from 6 am to 9 pm. Night traffic is restricted. He said it will continue. However, in some special cases like medical emergency etc., vehicle traffic has been allowed after verification, he said. He said that no survey has been done regarding construction of railway line or flyover in Bandipur.

Measures to Prevent Human-Wildlife Conflict

Action is essential to prevent human-wildlife conflict. Every life is precious. Thus, the work of constructing the railway barricade is in progress in such a way that the crops are not damaged and lives are not damaged. In addition to this, priority will be given to forest expansion, he said. Lease of 7500 acres of forest land Before independence, 7500 acres of forest land was leased by the British to some estate companies for long periods. This has hindered the smooth movement of animals. Therefore, the legal battle will be continued to get this land back to the forest department and to expand the forest, he said.

A special team and a legal cell have been constituted to recover arrears and overdue forest land from leaseholders of forest land allotted to estates. He said that this special team will work to recover the leased forest land.

A few years ago BP Ravi, the current Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, when he was the Chief Conservator of Forests in Chamarajanagar, had given a notice that some companies had not paid the lease money to the forest department, and now the estate has gone to court. He said that we have formed a special team to fight legally.

Elephant Attack Death Unfortunate

It is very sad and unfortunate that an elephant captured by the Forest Department of Karnataka and fitted with a radio collar attacked in Kerala, killing a person. He said he would express his regret about this.

But it is not right to confine any wildlife to a state. Elephants have been roaming freely in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra for centuries. This is known as the elephant corridor. Branding it as Karnataka elephant, Tamil Nadu elephant, Kerala elephant is not the right move, he said.

Responding to a journalist’s question about the alleged abandonment of an injured tiger from Karnataka on the border of Kerala, he said that it is normal for wild animals like leopards and tigers to move from one part to another. Wildlife knows no language, no boundaries. Wildlife knows no boundaries. He said that it is a baseless allegation that our department has left wildlife in another state.

Warning about forest fire In the coming summer, it has been advised to take utmost care so that the forest is not damaged by forest fire. A fire line is constructed. Talks have also been held with the fire brigade. All necessary precautionary measures will be taken, he said.

There is an official report that nearly 2 lakh acres of forest land has been encroached upon in the state. However, there are still complaints about overcrowding and I have instructed the higher officials of the department to provide accurate information about the overcrowding. After receiving the report, action will be taken ruthlessly against those who have encroached tens of acres for selfish reasons. He said that the encroachments will be cleared.