Tue Jun 24 12:26:27 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary of the provided text followed by a news article based on it:
**Summary:**
Due to road restoration work on a key route between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, heavy vehicles are being rerouted through the Bannari-Dhimbam stretch of National Highway 948. This diversion is in effect because the Anthiyur–Thamaraikarai–Bargur–Kollegal route is temporarily closed to vehicles with more than six wheels. However, a Madras High Court order restricts vehicles with 12 wheels or more on the Dhimbam Ghat Road section of the redirected route. This has led to potential complications, as the diverted vehicles must now adhere to the existing weight and time restrictions on this environmentally sensitive section of the highway within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
**News Article:**
**Karnataka-Tamil Nadu Border Traffic Rerouted, Causing Concern Over Highway Restrictions**
**ERODE, June 24, 2025** – Heavy vehicle traffic between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is facing disruption as road restoration work forces a change in routes. The Anthiyur–Thamaraikarai–Bargur–Kollegal route, a vital corridor for goods transport, is temporarily closed to vehicles with more than six wheels from June 22nd to July 5th due to repairs between Four Road and Kargekandi.
The Karnataka government, in response to long-standing demands for repairs, has initiated the road work and directed heavy vehicles to use the Sathyamangalam–Bannari–Dhimbam section of National Highway 948 (Dindigul–Mysuru) as an alternative.
However, this rerouting has raised concerns, as the Dhimbam Ghat Road section of the highway is subject to strict regulations imposed by a 2022 Madras High Court order. The order prohibits vehicles with 12 wheels or weighing over 16.2 tonnes from using the Dhimbam Ghat Road and enforces a time restriction, allowing commercial vehicles to only operate between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The stretch also passes through the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR).
Local authorities have instructed lorry drivers to use the designated alternative route but it remains to be seen how rigorously the weight and timing restrictions on the Dhimbam Ghat Road will be enforced, and what impact this will have on the flow of goods between the two states. The district administration has yet to provide a specific plan to accomodate the heavy trucks.
First Piper 