NELLIAMPATHY : A trip through the undulating hills of Nelliampathy, marked by roads that meander through pretty woods, meadows and tea-coffee plantations, had always been a refreshing experience for those flocking the hill station. A month after the monsoon havoc, Express found Nelliampathy to have seemingly lost its charm as ‘poor man’s Ooty’.
Reasons are many. For one, mercury has climbed up to 31 degree celsius, which - according to the people in the hill station - is unprecedented for this time of the year. Even during peak summer, mercury used to hover around 23-27 degrees celsius and nosedive to the zero mark in winter. The change in climate is visible in the plantation sector where cardamom, tea, coffee and orange are giving way to other crops.
Second: Incessant rain has cut the tourist destination off the ‘mainland’. A crucial bridge was washed away and the 33-km PWD road witnessed around 73 landslides, 12 landslips and three rockslips. Though the debris were removed from the road, the bridge is yet to be restored. Currently, there is no private bus service to Nelliampathy from Nenmara. Though the authorities have made a makeshift bridge using sandbags, the passage of heavy vehicles is banned. A majority of those in the hill station were labourers in the plantation sector earning a sum of Rs 320 per day.
Third: If there were more than 30,000 people in the hill station previously, the number has now come down to 6,437 people in 13 wards in Nelliampathy panchayat, says Health Department data.While people Express spoke to said the rain did not cause them much personal harm, a life without proper transportation and other amenities is miserable.