— Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan
Unusual: Heavy fog engulfs Yercaud forcing the tourists to keep away.
YERCAUD: Spells of rain and an unusual heavy fog at this time have kept tourists away from the ‘poor man’s Ooty’ and have forced its residents to keep indoors for the last two weeks.
The hill station, 30 km from Salem city, has been experiencing moderate to heavy rainfall since the onset of North-East Monsoon, which, however, has not caused any major damage so far to horticulture and coffee plantations. Coffee has already flowered.
A minor landslip, second time in 60 days, has occurred at the third hair-pin bend on Salem-Yercaud Ghat Road forcing the State Highways to expedite the repair and restoration works. Heavy vehicle traffic has been banned on this stretch.
The picturesque Yercaud Lake has also started overflowing thus forcing the tourists and people to once again reiterate their demand of raising the lake bund level to another three feet. The overflowing water has also brought life to the otherwise dry Kiliyoor Falls.
The rain has sprung up many sudden but small and tiny waterfalls all along the ghat stretch from Salem.
The temperature has also been oscillating between the maximum of 20 degree Celsius and the minimum of 15 degree Celsius.
It will further go down in the days to come, says a leading hotelier who hopes that the occupancy ratio, which is dismally low now, might pick up once the rain stops.
Revenue officials maintain that all essential commodities have been moved well in advance to the 60 and odd villages and hamlets in the hill.
Enough stocks are being maintained in fair price shops in these villages, says a senior official in the Department of Revenue.
Printer friendly
page Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
