Forest areas and Kani settlements in Kanniyakumari district bore the brunt of the Cyclone Ockhi.
The Forest department personnel have cleared the seven-km approach road between Keeripparai and Maramalai where private estate workers were held up in the storm. A journey between Keeripparai and Kaalikasam offers glimpses of nature’s fury. Thousands of trees, uprooted by gusty winds, lie among thick forests.
“The wind felled several trees and we are not going to remove them. We chopped and cleared around 5,000 trees along the approach road to the Kani tribal settlements. So far, we have covered seven km. In a day or two, we will complete our task,” said senior forest officers explaining that flow of water in the causeway near Ottakadai prevented restoration work.
Employees of Forest Department and Tangedco are working in tandem to restore the approach road to tribal settlements and also the power supply. Almost every electrical post in the forest areas has been uprooted. Asked about reports that workers in private rubber estates were held up without food and other facilities, officials said they were well versed with the route. “Of course, some workers continue to remain there. But there is no basis to the allegation that they are left with no food or water,” said senior police officials.
The rubber plantations have been severely affected by the storm. “Unlike other crops, it will take a minimum of six years to get yield from rubber and a farmer has to depend on other sources for livelihood,” said a forest official.
