Traffic restrictions in Telangana’s Kawal Tiger Reserve creates rift between officials, politicians

Movement of all types of vehicles is banned in the reserve between 9 pm to 6 am except for medical emergencies, citing prevention of deaths of wild animals caused by road accidents

Mancherial: Restrictions on traffic in the Kawal Tiger Reserve have created a rift between forest officials and local elected representatives.

Movement of all types of vehicles is banned in the reserve between 9 pm to 6 am except for medical emergencies, citing prevention of deaths of wild animals caused by road accidents. Check-posts were erected at Thapalapur and Kalamadugu village in Jannaram mandal and Pandapur village in Kaddempeddur mandal, and Kotthaguda in Utnoor mandal to prohibit movement of vehicles at night.

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However, Khanapur MLA and a member of State Board for Wildlife, Vedma Bojju, brought this issue to notice of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who was learnt to have assured to take steps to allow vehicular movement in the reserve at night. He earlier met Forest Minister Konda Surekha in Warangal and PCCF RM Dobriyal seeking permission for traffic in the reserve.

Bojju advised the public to call him if vehicles were stopped at the check-posts. He assured to ensure the vehicles were allowed in the reserve at night. Local elected representatives are up in arms against forest officials for stopping the traffic in the reserve from 9 pm to 6 am.

When asked, Mancherial district forest officer Shiv Aasheesh Singh said restrictions were imposed on vehicle movement in the reserve since the creation of the facility in 2012. The traffic is strictly banned considering the increased movement of tigers in the core. There are alternative routes if you want to cross the reserve, he pointed out.

Forest officials, however, said representations of the elected representatives were being evaluated and efforts were being made to address concerns of the public. They stated that they were sensitive to problems of the public, while giving paramount importance to protection of wildlife. They opined that permitting traffic would prove to be a bane for wild animals.

Around 50 villages in not only Jannaram, but also neighbouring Kaddempeddur, Dasturabad and Utnoor mandals were affected by the restrictions. The people living in the villages are forced to take long routes and to shell out huge amounts on transportation to reach Mancherial, Nirmal and Adilabad district centres for various needs. They urged the officials to allow the vehicles in the reserve at night.

“Instead of preventing traffic at night, the staffers of the forest department can monitor the movement of the vehicles and can ensure the stipulated speed limit of 30 km per hour is followed,” an activist maintained.