Dhoni, a popular hiking destination here, complete with a waterfall and lush green forests, remains out of bounds for tourists, with recent landslips destroying the lone approach road. Forest Department officials said at least ₹40 crore would be required to rebuild the 6-km road connecting Dhoni with Olavakode in Palakkad.
With tourism industry stabilising after the floods, hundreds of visitors reach Olavakode each day without realising that entry to the hilltop remains closed. On August 16, a major portion of the road was washed away in a landslip near the waterfall.
Three more landslips occurred in the subsequent days, leaving the road in ruins.
Dhoni is located hardly 15 km from Palakkad town and is near Malampuzha Dam and Meenvallom waterfalls. Between April and June this year, the Forest Department had collected ₹13.5 lakh as entry fee from tourists, mainly hiking enthusiasts. Tourists are allowed to trek deep inside the forests for three hours on the permitted paths.
Forest Department sources said a number of huge trees, much in demand in the timber market, got uprooted in the landslips in Dhoni.
If the authorities conducted legal auction of the timber, the amount for rebuilding the road could be generated easily without burdening the exchequer.
Though the local forest officials had submitted a detailed proposal to rebuild the road, the department is yet to approve it.
Trekking demand
Prasad K. Shornur, a trekking enthusiast, said, “What welcomes us at the starting point of the damaged road is a board installed by the Forest Department denying entry for tourists. The department can easily resume trekking operations by permitting visitors to walk the entire stretch from Olavakode. As the tourism season has begun, the demand is high.”