The wildlife expert committee constituted by the Kerala government to study animal behaviour and gather scientific data on use of roadside space by animals has not been able to commence its works with the state government failing to sanction even the meager Rs2 lakh needed for the study. This is in the backdrop of the Wayanad district witnessing awave of protests demanding withdrawal of a four year old night traffic ban on the National Highway-212 passing through the Bandipur tiger reserve. The study would have bolstered the state’s case, seeking a withdrawal of the ban, in the Supreme Court. The study, ordered five months ago was to be completed in September. It would have provided scientific data on wildlife along the NH stretch that would help decide on alternatives to restore nighttime Kerala-Karnataka road connectivity. The state transport department had in June asked wildlife expert P S Easa of the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) to conduct the study on the Kozhikode-Mysore stretch of NH-212 and the Ooty-Gundlupet stretch of NH-67. The night time traffic ban on these stretches has affected people in eight districts spread across three states. The Nilgiris-Wayanad National Highway and Railway Action Committee said that lack of scientific data on the effect of road traffic on wildlife has been the major impediment in the state’s efforts to get the ban revoked. “Information we got through an RTI query from the Karnataka forest department says that only 14 animals have died in the forest stretch of the NH, while the petitioners who got the ban order from the Karnataka HC had stated that hundreds of animals were killed,” said committee president T M Rasheed.“We are ready to commence the study anytime. KFRI had even written to the transport department to sanction the funds but there has been no response,” said Easa. Meanwhile, the Ecumenical Forum, an umbrella organization of various church groups in the district, will form human chains along all roads in Sulthan Bathery on Wednesday to highlightthe issue.