Mangaluru : Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada A.B. Ibrahim has banned movement of all sand transporting vehicles on the narrow Charmadi Ghat on the B.C. Road-Chikkamagaluru National Highway with immediate effect.

In a notification issued on Saturday he said that the ban would be in force till midnight of June 8.

It said that after the Shiradi Ghat on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway was closed for traffic for upgrading, traffic on the Charmadi Ghat towards Bengaluru and other areas has increased. Movement of many sand transporting vehicles has affected the smooth flow of traffic.

As it is the holiday season for schools and colleges, the movement of tourist vehicles has increased. In a recent meeting of the Karnataka Development Programme Review Committee, elected representatives objected to the movement of many sand-transporting vehicles on the Charmadi Ghat. They have alleged that the sand-transporting vehicles had caused accidents and had become responsible for some deaths.

Stating reasons for the ban, the release said that if vehicles were grounded due to technical faults at the deep curves, it often resulted in traffic jams. In addition, continuous flow of sand-transporting vehicles might damage the roads.

At a press conference here on Monday, Mr. Ibrahim said that he would review his ban order after June 8.