Not opening Bandipur pass for night travel, says Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah put an end to all rumours about reopening the Bandipur stretch of NH-766 and NH-67 at night.
Speculations about reopening the stretch sparked after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar made a remark during the Wayanad by-election campaign.
Shivakumar, during a campaign rally for Priyanka Gandhi on November 9, said his government would discuss the night traffic ban in Bandipur after some representatives came to him with this issue. “We will call both government and work where both are benefited and take care of our states’ interests,” he had said.
BJP MP from Mysuru, Yaduveer Wadiyar reacted to this on social media. In a post on X, he wrote: “Karnataka’s ecological treasures should not be sacrificed for electoral gains elsewhere. Keep Bandipur safe and say NO to night travel through this sanctuary.”
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda, too, shared the same sentiment, saying “political appeasement over environmental safety is unacceptable.”
The Bandipur stretch of National Highway 67 connects Karnataka with Tamil Nadu via Ooty, while the portion of National Highway 766 connects with Kerala through Sultan Bathery.
Night-time traffic restrictions on the stretch have been in place since 2009 in the interest of wildlife protection, as it runs through the protected Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
The stretch falls on the border between Karnataka and Kerala, and traffic is restricted on this stretch between 9 pm and 6 am.