OOTY: The resurfacing of the man-elephant conflict saw people at Gudalur on the Nilgiris border resorting to a road-roko early on Sunday morning. This paralyzed traffic on the busy Ooty-Gudalur-Mysuru NH.
A wild elephant which strayed into the NH along Thorappalli bordering the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve began to charge at a jeep on the road and overturned it. Udayakumar (42) and Nesaraj (47) who were travelling in the jeep, managed to escape with minor injuries and ran for safety. Both were treated at the government hospital at Gudalur. This triggered panic among the travelers on the road as well as residents in Thorappalli and nearby Gudalur areas. They gathered on the NH along Thorappalli and staged a road roko. Police, revenue and forest officials rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the agitators.
As the road-roko stir continued for nearly two hours, traffic along the busy Ooty-Gudalur-Mysuru NH came to a standstill after 8.30 am. The agitators wanted forest officials to evolve an effective mechanism to manage the increasing man-elephant conflict in Gudalur limits. After officials promised to take necessary action, including deepening and widening the elephant proof trenches along the road and at certain, the residents gave up their stir and traffic on the NH was resumed.
