UDHAGAMANDALAM: The Ooty-Mettupalayam Road remained closed for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday. The reopening of the road, which suffered multiple landslides following heavy rain in the Nilgiris, is likely to be delayed by at least 10 days. The road will be reopened for traffic only after a joint technical team from the Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts inspects the affected stretches and submits its recommendations.In the Nilgiris, continuous rain had triggered landslides at multiple locations on the Ooty-Mettupalayam and Kotagiri-Ooty roads. At Burliar, a landslide brought down soil and trees onto a bus on Friday night, killing driver Janakaraj.Nilgiris district collector Lakshmi Bhavya Taneeru had appealed to tourists to avoid visiting the hills for three days. Vehicle movement towards Ooty was also restricted between 6pm and 7am, with daytime traffic permitted only through the Kotagiri route.National Highways regional officer Sridhar and chief engineer Vanathi inspected the landslide-hit stretches and offered recommendations. Although the removal of soil and fallen trees from the affected stretches has been completed, several locations remain vulnerable. Rocks are still precariously suspended on slopes, raising fears of further falls, while portions of some roads have been damaged.In view of these risks, the Nilgiris and Coimbatore district administrations plan to constitute a joint technical team comprising experts from the soil conservation, geology, national highways, state highways and forest departments. Officials said the team would inspect the affected areas and recommend safety measures before the Ooty-Mettupalayam Road could be reopened. Until then, vehicles travelling between Mettupalayam and Ooty will have to use the Kotagiri-Mettupalayam Road.Tourist attractions, including Ooty’s gardens, boat house and Doddabetta, remained closed from Oct 24 to 26. They reopened on Monday after rain subsided and sunny weather prevailed. The Nilgiris district received no rain in the 24-hour cycle ending at 7am on Tuesday.
