Nilgiris limping back to normalcy

OOTY: Normalcy has begun to return back to the rain and flood-affected. Nilgiris from Saturday morning.  However, chopper service was used for relief and rescue operations in the TNEB camp in Avalanche as establishing road connectivity to Avalanche was still posing challenge. At least seven persons stranded there were air-lifted today.

The district administration in Nilgiris under the stewardship of Ms.J. Innocent Divya, collector of Nilgiris, has certainly done a commendable job in the disaster management arena as the hills here witnessed quick recovery, with clearance of debris along the roads to maintain steady flow of traffic and resumption of power supply in most parts of the affected areas.  The long-time residents here definitely know that this time the disaster management and relief works were quick with touch of care and compassion.

However, the resumption of inter-state traffic between Gudalur and Calicut via Nadugani and Nilambur section could not be done as the damage in the road in the Kerala side of the inter-state border is said to be more and would take some more time to resume traffic on this road.

Avalanche near here on Saturday morning too recorded 450-mm of rainfall, while the intensity of rains receded in other parts of the hills on Saturday.  This has certainly brought a huge sigh of relief to the hill residents who were reeling under rain and chill wave for the past one week.

Ms. Innocent Divya, collector, said that while minor landslips in 14 places along Emerald-Avalanche road were cleared, in four places where there were landslides, it was posing tough challenge to clear the debris.  That is the reason it is taking time to establish road connectivity to Avalanche.

She said that chopper was used on Saturday to carry food to the stranded TNEB staff and their families in TNEB hydro-power station premises in Avalanche, while seven persons have been air-lifted from there.