Autram Ghat road closed for heavy vehicles in wildlife sanctuary

A key road on the Autram Ghat passing through the Gautala Wildlife Sanctuary near here in central Maharashtra has been shut for heavy vehicles following an order of the Bombay High Court, an official said on Thursday.
The decision has been taken for wildlife protection and to avoid frequent traffic jams in the Autram Ghat, said a release issued by the Superintendent of Police (Aurangabad Rural).
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.