Fallen trees disrupt traffic at five places in the Nilgiris

NMR services from Mettupalayam to Coonoor remain suspended

State Highways department workers clearing a tree that got uprooted due to heavy rain and wind in the Nilgiris on Tuesday.

Heavy rain and wind continued to hit most parts of the Nilgiris on Tuesday, with trees getting uprooted and blocking roads in five different areas.

According to the officials, an average of 11.81 mm rain was recorded between Monday and Tuesday morning across the district, with Udhagamandalam, Kundah, Avalanche, Emerald, Kinnakorai, Coonoor and Kotagiri witnessing heavy rain.

Between Monday night and Tuesday morning, trees got uprooted and blocked the Udhagamandalam to Kaikatty Road, which connects Udhagamandalam to Manjoor and Kundah. Tree falls were also reported along the Doddabetta to Kattabettu Road and the road to Iduhatty.

Traffic was blocked for a few hours, before workers from the Highways Department managed to clear them away and traffic resumed along the roads.

A holiday was announced for schools across the district due to rain and wind. However, colleges were allowed to function.

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway services continued to ply between Udhagamandalam and Coonoor. Officials from the Salem division of the Southern Railway said that services from Mettupalayam were suspended a few weeks ago due to continuous landslips and tree falls, and added that the services would be suspended from Mettupalayam to Coonoor till further notice.

State Forest Minister K. Ramachandran visited some of the areas worst affected by the rain on Tuesday.