Traffic ban on highway through Bandipur reserve causing hardship to people in Kerala, K'taka: Rahul
New Delhi:Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the nine-hour traffic ban on the national highway passing through the Bandipur reserve has caused hardship to lakhs of people in Kerala and Karnataka, and asked the central and state governments to safeguard the interests of local communities, while protecting the environment.
The movement of traffic through the tiger reserve is banned on this stretch from 9 pm to 6 am. The ban through the reserve forest was intended to reduce disturbance to wildlife.
Gandhi, who is an MP from Wayanad in Kerala, expressed solidarity with the youth who are on an indefinite hunger strike since September 25 protesting the ban.
"I stand in solidarity with the youth on an indefinite hunger strike since September 25th protesting against the daily 9 hour traffic ban on NH-766 that has caused immense hardship to lakhs of people in Kerala and Karnataka," the former Congress president said in a tweet.
"I urge the central and state governments to safeguard the interests of local communities, while upholding our collective responsibility to protect our environment," he tweeted.
Last month, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had batted in favour of an elevated highway through the Bandipur National Park connecting Wayanad in Kerala and Mysore in Karnataka.
The ban has been affecting the people of Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts.
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Stalin urges Centre to rollback commercial LPG price hike
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday demanded that the Centre immediately rollback the hike in commercial LPG cylinder prices. The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on May 1, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
In his social media X platform, the DMK chief alleged that as predicted before the polls, the BJP-led union government has raised LPG prices immediately after the elections concluded.
"When global crude oil prices fell, the benefits were not passed on to the people, " he said, accusing the Centre of "using the West Asia war crisis as an excuse to raise the prices without regard for public welfare".
Calling for protection of the livelihood of the people, Stalin demanded an immediate rollback of the LPG price hike.
He asked the Centre to consider the people's suffering and find solutions.
