Those using the access road which leads them from the National Highway to the small settlement where more than 40 families reside in C.T.C Colony, near Wellington in Coonoor, continue to be at risk of suffering serious injury as the extremely steep access road does not have a retaining wall nor a revetment for protection and for also preventing the road from getting washed away.
Local residents said that the road is used regularly by those who have motorcycles as well as the road is the only means of getting to the Coonoor to Udhagamandalam National Highway. “It becomes especially dangerous at night, as there is not much lighting along the stretch,” said Saravanan D., a local resident.
C.T.C Colony was also impacted by landslips during the heavy rain that hit the Nilgiris in 2009. Even today, during rain, portions of the steep slope overlooking the highway break off, including sections of land adjoining a small church at the top of the road.
Residents said that the access road becomes extremely dangerous during rains, as the surface becomes extremely slippery and portions of the road also break off. “Any accident on this slope could have extremely dangerous consequences for the people involved, as someone could fall into oncoming traffic on the highway,” said Sumathi, another resident.
They added that the construction of a revetment, to protect against soil erosion or at least a retaining wall to ensure that people don't fall from the road was a long-pending demand, which they hoped would be expedited.