After SC order, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve bans night traffic on NH, state roads in core areas

PILIBHIT: Complying with a Supreme Court order of Nov17, 2025, the authorities at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) imposed a ban on the movement of all motorised and non-motorised vehicles from dusk to dawn, initially on the district’s three roads that pass through core forest areas of the reserve.

However, ambulances and other emergency vehicles are exempted.The roads on which curbs are imposed include Pilibhit-Basti NH 730, passing through Mala forest range for 7km; Madhotanda-Uttarakhand state highway, passing through Mahof forest range for 15 km; and Pilibhit-Madhotanda district road with a 9 km stretch inside the forest. PTR is spread over an area on 730 sqkm, with five forestranges — Mala, Mahof, Barahi, Haripur, and Deuria—and every range has roads passing through the core forest.

The Supreme Court order was passed by a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice AS Chandurkar in the T N Godavarman Thirumulpad versus Union of India and others case. In its order, the SC specified that “In those tiger reserves where roads traverse the core/critical tiger habitat, strict night regulation (no traffic from dusk to dawn except ambulances/emergency vehicles) needs to be exercised.”

The apex court also imposed a complete ban on night tourism activities.Though the curb was made effective from Monday, authorities said that, in view of the extreme resentment among the local people, certain relaxation would be allowed in the initial days. For the first two days, vehicles would be allowed to pass through the forest stretch at an interval of every one hour, DFO Bharat Kumar DK said, adding curbs on bicycles would also be enforced.However, park authorities have not given any clarity on five other roads — Sherpur-Dhanara Ghat, Puranpur-Deuria, Madhotanda-Sharda Sagar, Madhotanda-Barahi, and Sherpur-Durjanpur — which also pass through core forest areas in different forest ranges. The DFO said the SC order would also be imposed gradually on these roads.