Maharashtra: Autram Ghat road passing through Gautala wildlife sanctuary shut for heavy vehicles

A crucial road on the Autram Ghat that runs through the Gautala Wildlife Sanctuary nearby in central Maharashtra has been closed to heavy vehicles following an order of the Bombay High Court.

According to a press statement from the Superintendent of Police (Aurangabad Rural), the decision was made to conserve wildlife and prevent regular traffic congestion in the Autram Ghat. Heavy vehicles on the busy stretch will be rerouted from Talwada in Aurangabad and Nandgaon in Nashik district. The Aurangabad rural police have deployed personnel and set up barricades to curb the movement of heavy vehicles through the sanctuary, said the release.

The ghat spanning Aurangabad district in central Maharashtra and Jalgaon district in the northern part of the state lies on the National Highway 52 that stretches from Karnataka to Punjab. While hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the Aurangabad bench of the HC recently ordered to stop movement of heavy vehicles in the ghat to ensure wildlife protection in the sanctuary and to avoid traffic jams.

Police have deployed 20 personnel (as many more have been kept in reserve), three cranes and set up barricades to implement the court order. Another 30 staffers have been provided seven police vans for patrolling the stretch, said the release. Heavy vehicles heading to Chalisgaon in Jalgaon district from Aurangabad will now go via Daulatabad T point, Kasabkheda, Shivur Bangla, Talwada and Nandgaon. The same route will be used by heavy vehicles coming towards Aurangabad from Chalisgaon, it added.