Normal life hit as heavy rain lashes the Nilgiris

The incessant rains and gusty winds uprooted trees and snapped electric lines disrupting public transport service.

As a result, power connectivity was disrupted in several areas.

The arterial road connecting Coimbatore and Udhagamandalam road has been closed temporarily due to landslips and NMR services have been affected as rains pounded unabatedly.

Rescue teams from the fire and rescue department were on their toes clearing uprooted trees. A huge tree that fell on the government housing quarters near the district SP office and those on other places were all cleared.

As rain continued to wreak havoc, the mountain train from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam was halted in Coonoor. The train could not be operated as trees had fallen on the stretch between Wellington and Aravankadu along the NMR route. The train was cancelled in the return direction and officials said that it is not likely to be operated on Saturday too.

Similarly, road traffic on the Mettupalayam-Ooty main road came to a temporary halt due to landslides and vehicles were diverted through an alternative route through Kotagiri.

Tourist spots, including Government Botanical Garden, Ooty Lake and boat house wore a deserted look due to bad weather. The popular elephant safari at Theppakadu elephant camp remained suspended, while boat rides were stopped at the Ooty lake and boat house.

The Nilgiris district has recorded over 734 millimetres of rain since Thursday evening till Friday morning. And on Friday alone, the district has recorded 309 millimeters.

Heavy rain was witnessed in places such as Udhagamandalam, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Kundah, according to disaster management and mitigation department.

Schools and colleges remained closed in Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri areas.

Meanwhile, tourists were asked not to visit Panchalingam falls at Thirumurthy Hills in Tirupur district and Monkey falls near Pollachi in Coimbatore district.