More than 8,000 tourists braved steady rain and very poor visibility to visit the Nilgiris during the Pongal holidays.
Horticulture department officials said that around 4,000 visitors had come to the Government Botanical Garden on Thursday, and an equal number on Friday. The numbers are expected to rise during the weekend.
Most roads in Udhagamandalam and Coonoor towns witnessed huge crowds and heavy traffic, and the situation worsened with poor visibility caused by heavy fog.
Police personnel were posted at busy intersections in Udhagamandalam, Coonoor and Kotagiri and at many accident-prone spots in the district.
Traffic along the Kalhatti Ghat Road, leading into the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) was regulated, and vehicles from outside the Nilgiris were stopped from descending into the Sigur plateau using the road. Instead, they were asked to proceed to MTR via Gudalur to minimise accidents.
Rainfall
According to the district administration, an average rainfall of 12.90 mm was recorded in the Nilgiris, with Udhagamandalam town receiving 20 mm in 24 hours till Friday morning.
Other parts of the Nilgiris, such as Avalanche, Ketti, Kotagiri and Kodanad too received heavy rain till Friday morning.
