This road has seen many accidents as tourists are not used to driving properly in hilly areas.
The Nilgiris district is one of the major tourist destinations in Tamil Nadu. Nilgiris is a natural beauty with vast forests and mountain ridges and has many extraordinary things to explore. One such popular place is the Kalhatty Mountain Pass, known as the Ghost Road. Many tourists visiting the Nilgiris plan on exploring the Theppakadu Elephant Camp and Tiger Reserve, which are among the popular tourist sites. Tourists have two options to reach Theppakadu Elephant Camp. At present, tourists travel to Mudumalai from Ooty via Kudalur. Earlier, the Ooty- Masinagudi-Kalhatty road was mostly used. As per reports, this road is very low and has 36 hairpin bends. This road has seen many accidents as tourists are not used to driving properly in hilly areas. Apart from local vehicles, non-state and non-district vehicles are not allowed on these roads.
Checkpoints are set up on this road under the control of the forest department, and vehicles are inspected. Yellow coloured rubber bumpers are installed on the sides of the road to avoid accidents. Such measures have been taken by the highways department, as this will reduce accidents and damage to a greater extent.
Regarding this road, a local man named Nitish said, “I am working in Bangalore. I am a native of Ooty. I use Kalhatti Road when I come here often. It will be very pleasant to come on this road while enjoying the scenery and wild animals,” he said.
Sanjeev, a truck driver, said, “I have been a truck driver for the last 10 years. We have used this road before. Many accidents occur due to the fact that people coming from outside do not know how to drive properly in the hilly areas. Thus, only local people are allowed to use this road. Considering the safety of tourists, they are recommending the Gudalur road,” he added.
