Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says no proposal to ease night traffic ban through Bandipur

When pointed out that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had made such a statement in Wayanad in Kerala, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the question should be asked to Mr. Shivakumar, and not him.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that there is no proposal before the State Government to ease or lift nigh traffic curbs through Bandipur.

Speaking to media persons in Mysuru on November 13, Mr. Siddaramaiah said neither was there a discussion at the government level nor such a proposal before him.

When pointed out that Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had made such a statement when he was in Wayanad in Kerala, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the question should be asked to Mr. Shivakumar, and not him.

Mr. Shivakumar had stated that the government would take all possible measures to lift night traffic ban through Bandipur, which had riled wildlife conservationists in Karnataka. They had questioned the Deputy Chief Minister’s stance on the issue and pointed out that even the High Court of Karnataka had upheld the night traffic ban.

Mr. Shivakumar’s remarks had triggered political backlash with the opposition hitting out at the Deputy Chief Minister. Mysuru MP and BJP leader Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar had taken to social media and remarked that Bandipur’s wildlife deserves protection, not political compromises. “Karnataka’s ecological treasures should not be sacrificed for electoral gains elsewhere,” he had stated.

Other BJP leaders of Karnataka too had criticised Mr. Shivakumar for his remarks on easing night traffic through Bandipur.