Residents of Colony Mattam in Adhigaratty panchayat near Coonoor have appealed to the local panchayat to repair the highly damaged road connecting the village to Ketti Palada, the nearest village.
According to local residents, the road has become extremely damaged after recent rain. “As mud and soil from nearby farms gets washed down onto the road, it becomes extremely treacherous to drive through the stretch for motorists,” said S. Mani, a local resident. The road gets damaged each year during the rain, say the residents, and called on the Adhigaratty panchayat to find a lasting solution to the problems.
“This road is extremely useful during the tourist season, as people travelling to Kundah can use the road to pass through, so it makes sense for the road to be maintained,” said Paul Joseph, another resident.
As buses do not ply to the village, most residents of Colony Mattam, numbering around 25 families, have to walk through slushy road each year to Ketti Palada. Residents said that school children too have to walk to the village to board their school buses.
“Some stretches of road, which get washed away each year can be replaced with inter-lock bricks so that they do not get damaged each year,” said another resident, calling on the local panchayat to re-lay the roads.
