Heavy vehicles defy ban, disturb wildlife Heavy vehicle movement continues unregulated through Kawal Tiger Reserve despite the decision on its ban taken at a meeting of the State Board for Wildlife headed by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy late in January this year. The plying of heavy vehicles on the stretch not only disturbs wildlife but causes heavy loss to government exchequer by way of damaging the road which is not suitable for bearing enormous loads carried by the heavy vehicles. There are frequent traffic jams, especially in crowded areas such as Gudihatnoor crossing, Indervelli, Utnoor and Jannaram mandal headquarter villages as the road does not have sufficient width to allow wide-bodied lorries. Often, traffic comes to a standstill for long hours on the narrow ghats inside the Kawal forest on the Utnoor-Indhanpalli road as the lorries fail to negotiate the gradients. The Chief Minister had approved a proposal by the Forest department to completely ban heavy goods vehicles between Gudihatnoor and Luxettipet. Concerned departments such as the R&B and the Forest department, however, have failed to comply with the all-important decision. The Wildlife conservation officials have more than once represented to the R&B department, but the latter has not come up with any plan to divert traffic at Gudihatnoor crossroads on the NH 44 and Luxettipet on the other side. Several wild animals were killed in road accidents by heavy vehicles in the time that has lapsed since the new development was communicated to authorities here.