Save Bandipur | Golden IT Corridor

• Context (DTE): The plan for Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line through Bandipur National Park evokes protests over ecological impact.
• The Nilambur-Nanjangud railway line will connect Nilambur in Kerala to Nanjangudi in Karnataka, which is known as the Golden IT Corridor.

Significance of the Corridor

• Improve interstate connectivity while significantly reducing travel time and distance.
• Alleviate traffic congestion on National Highway-766, which connects Kozhikode in Kerala to Kollegal in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district.

Bandipur National Park

• It is situated at the intersection of the Deccan Plateau and the Western Ghats, on the Mysore-Ooty highway in Karnataka.
• Declared a tiger reserve in 1973 as a part of Project Tiger, Bandipur is an extension of the Venugopal Wildlife Park that was founded by the Maharajas of Mysore in 1931.
• It is an important part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and one of the 12 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in India.
• It is the largest national park in the state of Karnataka.
• It shares its borders with:
  1. Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka,
  2. Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, and
  3. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala.

• Fauna: It is one of the last refuges of the endangered Asiatic wild elephant. Other species found are Sloth bears, gaurs, Indian rock pythons, jackals, muggers, and four-horned antelopes.
• Flora: It is characterised by a mix of deciduous and evergreen forests.