12 acres destroyed in Gap Road landslip

Twelve acres of land was destroyed in a major landslip on the Gap Road stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway on Thursday night, according to a Revenue Department estimate.

Cardamom and pepper crops cultivated on a 3-km stretch were destroyed. However, local people said that crops on nearly 100 acres of land were lost in the rubble.

Earlier landslip

The landslip was reported below the road where the debris of another landslip that occurred on June 17 had accumulated.

The debris of the earlier landslip too rolled down along with the heavy rocks and gush of water on Thursday night.

Chinnakanal village officer Sunil K. Paul said two houses were damaged in the landslip.

A huge uprooted tree prevented the debris from flowing into a residential area, averting a major accident, he added.

Traffic suspended

Many small and medium landslips were recorded on the Gap Road alone in the past three days. It is estimated that over a dozen major landslips had occurred on the stretch in the past two years.

Many environmentalists attributed them to the unscientific road-widening works. The traffic on the Gap Road stretch has been suspended in view of the possibility of landslips there.