Edamalakkudy, the first tribal grama panchayat inside the Munnar forest division, has its isolation total now with landslips washing away the only road to the tribal hamlet from Pettimudy.
It is two months since the road was washed away in landslips that also disrupted power connection to the area. Landline and mobile connection too have snapped putting the 27 tribal settlements spread over a wide area in the forest out of connectivity.
With no road, the only option for Edamalakkudy residents was to walk the hilly stretch of 18 km from Pettimudy to Societykudy, the headquarters of all the settlements. Goods movement and online education of students in the tribal village was also still in limbo, according to sources.
A senior official of the KSEB said the power cable to Edamalakkudy, which was damaged in the landslips, was being set right and supply would be restored by the end of this week, he said.
Devikulam Sub Collector S. Prem Krishnan said repair work on one more kilometre of Edamalakkudy road needed to be done before setting the road link right. The Forest Department said they would complete the works within one week.
Yet the repair work was just a temporary solution, as the road was made of mud that would most likely be washed away in the next floods. Only a concrete or keeled road would ensure proper road connectivity, a Forest Department official said, adding if the government issued a special order, a proper road connectivity to Edamalakkudy could be made.
