Chennai, Feb 9 (IANS): The vehicular movement through the Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Tamil Nadu will remain prohibited between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. for commercial vehicles and between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. for other vehicles from Friday.
The direction was issued following an order of a division bench of the Madras High Court comprising Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D. Bhartha Chakravarthy -- directing the state forest department to implement the notification, regarding travel restriction, issued by the Erode district collector in 2019.
The Madras High Court intervened in the matter following PIL filed by advocate S.P. Chockalingam seeking the intervention of the court on the "serious lapses" on the part of forest officials in implementing the notification issued by the Erode district collector on January 7, 2019.
The petitioner contended that several animals were getting killed by the vehicular movement through the Tiger Reserve and animals usually come on the road at night. He also cited the drastic fall in animal deaths due to accidents through the Gudalur sector after the ban on night vehicular traffic was implemented.
The Erode district collector had in his notification of January 7, 2019, banned the plying of commercial vehicles from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and other vehicles from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. through the Bannari- Karappalam stretch passing through the STR.
The first bench of the Madras High court directed the Special pleader of the forest department of Tamil Nadu to explain why the notification of the district collector was not implemented even after it was issued under Section 115 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
The court directed that the ban would come into effect from February 10 and if anyone violates the order of the court, the authorities concerned must identify the violators and provide the names and further details of such persons for appropriate actions.
The court also directed the authorities to send the details of the officials concerned who did not implement the notification.