Thiruvananthapuram: The Way To Go Ponmudi The hill station, which was closed for tourists citing safety concerns over the damage caused during heavy rains, has been reopened before maintenance work can be carried out.
The authorities have started allowing tourists to visit the upper sanctuary of hill station from Thursday
The road was damaged due to incessant rains in the first week of June. The road between Hairpin Curves 11 and 12 was damaged at several places after the earth beneath it eroded. This has created potholes on the road surface. Whenever it rains, the rain water seeps into the cracks created by the erosion of the soil, which poses a risk of breaking the road.
Apart from this, the crash barrier on Hairpin Curves 18 also fell during the rain.
The district administration took prompt action and banned the entry of tourists to the hill station to avoid possible tragedies. But, just a week ago, the Public Works Department (Public Works Department) Obtained administrative approval from the government for issuing tender for maintenance work.
Police said that though the road to the hill station was reopened, entry was given under strict conditions.
“Two criteria have to be fulfilled to get admission in the Upper Sanctuary. Either the person will have to submit a Covid negative certificate, which is not more than 24 hours old, or a certificate of having received both the doses of vaccination,” Nedumangad said DSP M Anilkumar, under whose jurisdiction the Ponmudi mountain range falls.
He said that the forest department officials would conduct an inquiry in this regard at their check post at Kallar, located at the foothills of the mountain range.
The DSP also said that the movement of vehicles would also be controlled by using traffic cones.
In places where roads are damaged, only one lane is allowed for vehicular movement, which is unaffected.
Addressing the security concerns, the DSP said that though tourist vehicles were not allowed entry, KSRTC Buses to Ponmudi were still plying during this period as people were living there. So far, the rules that have been framed have turned out to be good.
When contacted, the concerned PWD officials said that they expect work to start within a week.
“Now that the administrative approval has been received, the processes like inviting tenders and awarding contracts will be completed expeditiously,” a PWD official said.
The authorities have started allowing tourists to visit the upper sanctuary of hill station from Thursday
The road was damaged due to incessant rains in the first week of June. The road between Hairpin Curves 11 and 12 was damaged at several places after the earth beneath it eroded. This has created potholes on the road surface. Whenever it rains, the rain water seeps into the cracks created by the erosion of the soil, which poses a risk of breaking the road.
Apart from this, the crash barrier on Hairpin Curves 18 also fell during the rain.
The district administration took prompt action and banned the entry of tourists to the hill station to avoid possible tragedies. But, just a week ago, the Public Works Department (Public Works Department) Obtained administrative approval from the government for issuing tender for maintenance work.
Police said that though the road to the hill station was reopened, entry was given under strict conditions.
“Two criteria have to be fulfilled to get admission in the Upper Sanctuary. Either the person will have to submit a Covid negative certificate, which is not more than 24 hours old, or a certificate of having received both the doses of vaccination,” Nedumangad said DSP M Anilkumar, under whose jurisdiction the Ponmudi mountain range falls.
He said that the forest department officials would conduct an inquiry in this regard at their check post at Kallar, located at the foothills of the mountain range.
The DSP also said that the movement of vehicles would also be controlled by using traffic cones.
In places where roads are damaged, only one lane is allowed for vehicular movement, which is unaffected.
Addressing the security concerns, the DSP said that though tourist vehicles were not allowed entry, KSRTC Buses to Ponmudi were still plying during this period as people were living there. So far, the rules that have been framed have turned out to be good.
When contacted, the concerned PWD officials said that they expect work to start within a week.
“Now that the administrative approval has been received, the processes like inviting tenders and awarding contracts will be completed expeditiously,” a PWD official said.
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