Invoking powers under Section 31 of the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, Section 33 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 115 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, Rule 221-A(5) of the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 (Amendment Rules 1990), and Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, the District Magistrate and Chairman of the Regional Transport Authority, Venkata Raja, has issued an order to regulate vehicular movement across Kodagu district from July 6 to August 5, in the interest of public safety, road users, and protection of public property.
Vehicles Prohibited:
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All types of timber and sand transport vehicles
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Goods vehicles with registered weight exceeding 18,500 kg
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Heavy vehicles such as bullet tankers, ship cargo containers, long chassis (multi-axle) vehicles, and articulated trucks
Vehicles Exempted:
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Vehicles supplying cooking gas and fuel
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Milk supply vehicles
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Government service vehicles
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School, college, and public passenger transport vehicles (including multi-axle buses)
As per Section 116 of the Motor Vehicles Act, the Superintendent of Police, Kodagu district, Madikeri, has been permitted to install necessary signage and warning boards.
Checkposts will be established at the district borders along National Highway 275, especially at Kushalnagar and Sampaje. Staff will be deployed to maintain round-the-clock surveillance. Mobile patrolling will be conducted, and action will be taken as per law against those who violate the order, the District Magistrate and RTA Chairman Venkata Raja stated.
Post the monsoon, it is high time that the District Administration and for that matter all the Highways and Transport Authorities should review the LOAD BEARING CAPACITY of the roads laid in Kodagu over a century ago.
Most of the roads were built by the British to meet the needs of their campaigns and transfer of the wealth, what the then Kingdom of Coorg could be extracted. The flow of heavy vehicles and other tourist vehicles has grown very substantially – which no sane infrastructure can withstand – with or without the monsoon. This is the principal reason that despite the proverbial pre-election topping of roads with tar that doesn’t even last a few months, the roads revert to its usual poor condition.
Recent announcements of permits and restrictions in movement of vehicles in hill stations like Ooty and Simla should be studied and a proper solution for navigable roads in Kodagu should be formulated and implemented.
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This appears to be a somewhat delayed action. Recall having seen news on timber movement in early June –
The DC had issued an order restricting the movement of all types of heavy vehicles from June 6 to July 5. As a result, timber merchants claimed that they are facing significant hardship.
The merchants explained that the trees already felled in plantations have become soft due to weather conditions and, if not transported immediately, they will become unusable. This would result in heavy losses for the traders. Therefore, they have appealed to extend the deadline for transporting the felled timber till June 20, 2025. Looks like their appeal was allowed.