<p class="title">Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the state government has not taken any decision on throwing open the national highway cutting through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka fornight traffic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has recently proposed to allow night traffic and claimed that the state government had agreed to give its consent.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Bandipur issue is already in the Supreme Court...I don't know why this issue is raised again. Our government has not taken any decision. I don't know why some people are creating controversy," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a letter to the Karnataka chief secretary, MoRTH secretary Y S Malik also proposed building four elevated corridors of one km each.</p>.<p class="bodytext">MoRTH's claim that chief minister Kumaraswamy and PWD minister H D Revanna had consented to its recommendations during a meeting with Union Transport minister Nitin Gadkarihas come as a surprise to wild life conservationists as it is contrary to the stand of successive state governments.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Malik has sought the state's consent to the proposed scheme so that it can be submitted before the Supreme Court.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Following the letter from MoRTH, state chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar has sought the forest department's opinion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A senior forest department official had yesterday told PTI on condition of anonymity, "We have opposed the lifting of the night traffic ban...mostly the file is with the chief minister's office."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Karnataka government is not allowing night traffic on the NH-212 through the forested region, inhabiting wild animals including tiger, leopards and elephants, to prevent their deaths in possible road accidents.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The movement of traffic through the tiger reserve is banned on this stretch from 9 pm to 6 am. </p>
<p class="title">Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the state government has not taken any decision on throwing open the national highway cutting through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka fornight traffic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has recently proposed to allow night traffic and claimed that the state government had agreed to give its consent.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Bandipur issue is already in the Supreme Court...I don't know why this issue is raised again. Our government has not taken any decision. I don't know why some people are creating controversy," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a letter to the Karnataka chief secretary, MoRTH secretary Y S Malik also proposed building four elevated corridors of one km each.</p>.<p class="bodytext">MoRTH's claim that chief minister Kumaraswamy and PWD minister H D Revanna had consented to its recommendations during a meeting with Union Transport minister Nitin Gadkarihas come as a surprise to wild life conservationists as it is contrary to the stand of successive state governments.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Malik has sought the state's consent to the proposed scheme so that it can be submitted before the Supreme Court.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Following the letter from MoRTH, state chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar has sought the forest department's opinion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A senior forest department official had yesterday told PTI on condition of anonymity, "We have opposed the lifting of the night traffic ban...mostly the file is with the chief minister's office."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Karnataka government is not allowing night traffic on the NH-212 through the forested region, inhabiting wild animals including tiger, leopards and elephants, to prevent their deaths in possible road accidents.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The movement of traffic through the tiger reserve is banned on this stretch from 9 pm to 6 am. </p>