Mukkombu reopens to visitors

Mukkombu (Upper Anicut), a popular picnic spot situated a few km away from Tiruchi, reopened to visitors on Monday after a gap of over eight months.

The move followed the government’s announcement on reopening of tourist places across the State.

Barricades placed at the entrance by police after Mukkombu shut down in March when the lockdown was announced in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic were removed to allow visitors inside the sprawling campus.

An official of the Public Works Department, which maintains Mukkombu, said it was reopened in the morning with precautionary measures in place. Visitors were being advised to wear masks in order to be allowed inside and they were subjected to thermal scanning at the entrance where hand sanitisers were kept.

A team of Armed Reserve personnel had been deployed inside the picnic spot following its reopening, said police sources.

Visitors footfall on the first day was not much, said the official, exuding hope that it would gradually rise on weekends in the coming days. The picnic spot is situated along Tiruchi-Karur national highway.