Plea to lift ban on night traffic on Bandipur road

April 18, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:36 am IST - Udhagamandalam:

The Nilgiri Potato and Vegetable Growers Association (NPVGA) has urged the Tamil Nadu Government to initiate efforts to get the ban on night traffic on Gudalur-Bandipur-Mysore road lifted.

In a letter sent the Government, association president B.Krishnamoorthy pointed out that people of The Nilgiris in general and farmers in particular had been affected by the ban.

In many parts of the district, annual crops such as carrot, potato, cabbage and beetroot were harvested during the rainy seasons.

On account of the wet and cold conditions, they had to be rushed to warm places such as Mettupalayam, Trichy, Chennai, Mysore and Bengaluru to ensure that they fetched remunerative prices. Regrettably, the farmers were unable to get their perishable commodities through the check posts on Bandipur road between dusk and dawn, he said.

He pointed out that about 30 per cent of the potatoes and other vegetables grown here were marketed in Mysore, Bengaluru and nearby places.

As part of a crop diversification scheme, the State Government had been promoting floriculture in The Nilgiris. It was a time sensitive activity and Bengaluru was the only marketing centre. However, due to the traffic restrictions, the floriculturists were not able to transport their produce immediately after their harvest.

Owing to this, they incurred heavy losses and many floriculturists found it very difficult to repay bank loans. Dairy farmers also encountered problems in bringing cattle from Karnataka.

Pointing out that tourism played a key role in ensuring the economic well being of this holiday destination, Mr. Krishnamoorthy claimed that traffic restrictions on Bandipur road had hit the inflow of tourists.

Referring to the large number of people from Karnataka who have settled in various parts of The Nilgiris and people belonging to the district settled in Karnataka, he said that the difficulty in travelling at night had subjected them to considerable inconvenience.

Emergencies

During medical emergencies, treatment was often delayed due to the ban. The ban had also affected school and college students, he added.

Farmers are unable to get their perishable commodities through the check posts on Bandipur road between dusk and dawn

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