Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court (HC) yesterday ordered issuance of notices to the Centre and State Governments on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a direction to authorities to ban night traffic on the 11-km stretch of State Highway 90 (Mysuru-Virajpet Road near Mathigodu elephant camp) passing through Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice L. Narayana Swamy and Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar passed the order on the petition filed by advocate H.C. Prakasha and A.M. Mahesha, a law student, both residents of Bengaluru.

Referring to the death of tusker Ranga in October last year after a speeding private bus hit the pachyderm on State Highway 90, the petitioners said traffic on this section of the highway had increased due to the ban on night traffic on National Highways 67 and 212 (now renamed as NH 766) passing through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

At present, there is a ban on night traffic on NH-212 (now renamed as NH 766) that connects Karnataka to Kerala via Gundlupet in Chamarajanagar and on NH-67 that links Karnataka to Tamil Nadu.

The petitioners say such incidents highlight the immediate necessity for measures to prevent animal deaths due to collision with vehicles. They say animal deaths include those of reptiles, monkeys, civet cats and small mammals that come under the wheels of speeding vehicles at night.

The roads that pass through the elephant reserve have become death traps for elephants due to inaction of the authorities, it says. The road is used by a large number of private transporters and other vehicles that drive rashly with utter disregard to wildlife and their habitat, the PIL says.

Apart from the roads passing protected areas, Railway fences installed by the Forest Department, and electric fences installed by landowners have also become death traps for elephants, the petitioners claim. They add that authorities have not taken any step to protect the life of elephants in this stretch as per the Wildlife Protection Act.

While seeking a direction to ban the movement of vehicles between 6 pm and 6 am on this stretch, the petitioners also requested the Court to direct authorities to create bypass roads as an alternative to roads passing through the Tiger Reserve.