Kerala and Karnataka are preparing to work on a joint proposal to find a permanent solution to the night traffic ban on National Highways 766 and 67 through Bandipur National Park and Tiger Reserve, a restriction that has affected movement between the two states for years while being linked to wildlife safety.
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan said in the state Assembly that he and Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar would hold discussions in Bengaluru on the issue. The Kerala government will prepare an alternative proposal in consultation with Karnataka before submitting a detailed project report, he said.
The options under consideration could include a tunnel or an elevated road structure. According to Satheesan, any alternative would be designed to allow the free movement of wild animals while providing a route for vehicles travelling between Kerala and Karnataka. The statement did not specify the proposed location, length, cost or construction timeline for either option.
The existing restriction prohibits vehicles from using the affected stretches between 9pm and 6am. It was imposed by the deputy commissioner to prevent wild animals from being killed in road accidents inside the protected forest area. Although the ban was later withdrawn, the Karnataka High Court stayed that move, leaving the night restriction in force.
Satheesan said the stay remains operative because the Supreme Court has not intervened to overturn the High Court order. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court, and any change to the present arrangement will require the two states to agree on an alternative before submitting a joint proposal, he said.
The issue illustrates the administrative difficulty of managing a road corridor that serves as an important inter-state connection while passing through a protected wildlife landscape. Decisions on traffic access cannot be taken by one state alone because the route links Kerala and Karnataka, while the court proceedings and wildlife protections constrain how the road can be operated.
Satheesan said he had held initial discussions with Shivakumar, who agreed to participate in further consultations. Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi had also offered to facilitate discussions with the Karnataka government, he added.
The restriction has generated protests and political pressure in Kerala, particularly because it affects night-time travel and freight movement through the corridor. Satheesan said successive governments had not resolved the matter for more than a decade, while noting that the current government had assumed office only a few months earlier.
For now, the proposed tunnel or elevated structure remains an alternative concept rather than an approved project. The next formal steps are the Bengaluru discussions, preparation of a proposal by Kerala in consultation with Karnataka, and the subsequent submission of a detailed project report if both governments agree on a way forward.
