COIMBATORE: Four days on, the body of a 43-year-old man trapped in a landslip following heavy downpour in O Valley in Gudalur in the Nilgiris district has not been traced yet. Meanwhile, the revenue, disaster management, and fire and rescue service personnel, police and the forest department are continuing their efforts to rescue stranded people across the district.
Sources said, several villages in O Valley were devastated and a large number of people were marooned following the incessant rain in the last nine days in the area. Puthur Vayal, Thenvayal, Manguli Kunilvayal and Kuliyamparai are the worst rain-hit areas. However, the district administration got slight relief as the intensity of rain reduced on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the clearing of trees from roads is being done on a war footing. Several teams from disaster management, fire and rescue, and police departments have been deployed at various junctions for rescue and relief operations. In addition to this, around 41 army personnel are engaged in clearing trees that fell on the roads.
With railway tracks being blocked by fallen trees, the Southern Railway has decided to temporarily halt the operation of Nilgiri Mountain Railway for a couple of days. The district administration said nearly 5,334 people are shifted to 49 relief camps with food accommodation. Lactating mothers with babies were also given special care with medical teams assigned at all camps.
After inspecting the rain-hit areas, Animal Husbandry Minister Udumalai K Radhakrishnan said the department officials were instructed to provide enough fodder to the cattle and also conduct a survey on the death toll to assist the cattle farmers.
The members of Coimbatore for Tamil Nadu sent a vehicle full of relief materials to Ooty on Sunday. Its coordinator CGS Manion said, “We have collected the essentials sent to Nilgiris. The goods would be distributed to the people by the administration officials.”