COIMBATORE: The State Highways Department officials have joined hands with the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) to create awareness among motorists and tourists about the biodiversity of the ATR through reflective sign boards.
The highway officials have fixed reflective signages with photographs of amphibians, birds, and mammals along with their names for every hairpin bend on the Pollachi to Valparai hilly road. For instance, the 25th hairpin bend is called the Malabar gliding frog hairpin bend, and the 19th hairpin bend is called the White-Bellied Treepie hairpin bend.
According to G Venkatesh, Valparai Forest Range Officer, State Highways officials are instrumental in erecting these conservation awareness boards on the 40 hairpin boards on the Valparai highway as part of educating tourists.
Venkatesh, who has given his photographs and list of birds, amphibians, etc., said that they believe this would impart knowledge about rare and lesser-known species when the forest is home to fauna other than elephants, tigers, and leopards.
A senior official of the highways department said that they have fixed reflective boards at each of the 40 hairpin bends, and they have got an idea to sensitise the tourists as Valparai is one of the notable tourist spots in the state.
“There are much fewer chances for tourists to see these rare species by venturing into the reserve forest, and these reflective boards can help to understand the nature and rich biodiversity of the Anamalai forest. We are also planning to fix similar awareness boards on the Anamalai to Topslip Road,” he said
The highway officials have already put up boards with road safety warning tips on the highways in and around Pollachi.
“We have given a QR code at the bottom of the reflective boards. By scanning the QR code, they will know the nearby hospital contact number, address, etc. We have fixed these boards on the Pollachi-Udumalai highway, Pollachi to Meenkarai, and Pollachi to Nadupuni roads, along with road safety messages like ‘wear seat belts’ and ‘don’t drink and drive’,” the official pointed out.
However, some motorists say the boards are attractive and divert their attention.
(The Malabar gliding frog or Malabar flying frog is a species of tree frog. The white-bellied treepie is a bird of the crow family.)