CHENNAI: The Madras high court has refused to stay its order banning vehicular movement at night on the national highway through the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR).
Rejecting the argument that more than 80,000 people are affected due to the ban, the first bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D Bhartha Chakravarthy wondered why the government declared the area a tiger reserve if so many were living in the vicinity.
However, passing interim orders on a batch of pleas to lift the ban, the bench permitted vehicular movement 24/7 for medical emergencies.
On February 8, the court directed immediate implementation of a 2019 notification banning vehicle movement in STR between 6pm and 6am to prevent animal deaths.
The court passed the interim order on a PIL moved by advocate S P Chockalingam against the inaction of authorities over implementing the notification dated January 7, 2019.
The notification issued by the Erode district collector prohibited plying of commercial heavy vehicles between 6pm and 6am and other vehicles between 9pm and 6am in the Bannari-Karapallam stretch passing through the STR.
When the pleas came up for hearing on Thursday, the court observed that the failure on the part of the officials concerned to control traffic in the area has resulted in the ban, which is affecting the villagers around the area.
