Collector advises tourists against visiting Nilgiris for 3 days due to heavy rain

A government bus driver was killed and the conductor seriously injured when a landslip struck the bus near Barliyar on the Ooty–Mettupalayam highway on Saturday morning. Around 50 passengers reportedly escaped unhurt after getting off the bus following a tyre puncture.
Heavy rain across Tamil Nadu over the past week, following the onset of the northeast monsoon, has triggered landslips and disrupted road traffic in the Nilgiris. Barliyar recorded 25 cm of rainfall on Friday.
The heavy rain, attributed partly to a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, has caused streams of rainwater to gush down the hill slopes, disrupting traffic at several places in the district.
The landslip occurred at Barliyar when soil and a tree slid down the hillside and fell on the government bus. The driver, Janakaraj, died in the incident, while the conductor, Kesavan, was rescued with serious injuries and admitted to hospital.
According to preliminary reports, the bus had suffered a tyre puncture earlier, following which the passengers were asked to get down. This reportedly helped more than 50 passengers escape the mishap. Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot and retrieved the driver’s body from the bus. Minister Sampathkumar visited the accident site and inspected the rescue operations. Coimbatore District Collector Pavan Kumar G. Giriyappanavar and other officials accompanied him.
The absence of mobile phone signals in the area hampered rescue operations.
Road traffic on the Ooty–Coonoor–Mettupalayam stretch was suspended from midnight until 9 a.m. on Saturday following rain-related damage. Highways Department personnel and the local administration were engaged in clearing the mud and boulders that had fallen on the road and restoring traffic.
Traffic on the Ooty–Kotagiri–Mettupalayam road was also disrupted for about an hour from 5 a.m. on Saturday. Small vehicles were subsequently allowed to move along one side of the road.
Traffic was also suspended on the alternative route from Karamadai through Kethai and Manjoor to Ooty after boulders fell on the road.
With rain continuing, Nilgiris Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru declared a holiday for schools in all six taluks of the district on Saturday as a precautionary measure.
The Forest Department also temporarily closed tourist destinations, including Catherine Falls and the Kodanad View Point, in the interest of public safety.
The Ooty–Mettupalayam mountain railway service was cancelled on Saturday as a precautionary measure, disappointing tourists who had planned to travel by train.
Tourists planning to visit Ooty over the weekend were advised to reconsider their trips in view of the continuing rain and disruption to transport services.
Red Alert: Heavy rainfall continues in the Nilgiris district. In light of this, the Meteorological Department has issued a ‘Red Alert’. Kotagiri has recorded 20 cm of rainfall, while Coonoor has received 15 cm.