Traffic ban on Munnar – Devikulam Gap Road: How's it affecting tourism sector?

Thodupuzha: Traffic hasn’t resumed on the Gap Road for almost a week after a massive mudslide wreaked havoc on the Devikulam stretch of the road on the national highway. Meanwhile, the merchants and those working in the Devikulam area's tourism sector have suffered losses due to the traffic ban, reported Manorama Online. The district authorities banned traffic on this road after it was blocked by mud, sludge, and giant boulders. Even though the rains have subsided in the area, the authorities haven’t begun the work to break the boulders and remove them from the road yet. Vehicle bans have become regular in this area, which does not have an alternate road facility to ensure uninterrupted traffic. Moreover, frequent mudslides and traffic blockades have severely affected the tourism scope of prominent destinations like Chinnakanal and Suryanelli.

An additional 10 kilometres!
Tourists are now forced to take the longer route from Munnar to Pooppara, additionally travelling 10 kilometres. People have been complaining of time and financial loss as they have to take this route. The school students and teachers from the Chinnakanal region also take the longer Kunjithanni route to reach their schools. Currently, KSRTC and the buses of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation are running services via Gap Road. The KSRTC charges Rs 113 as ticket fare in the Munnar – Bodimettu route while TNSTC charges Rs 115. Both KSRTC and TNSTC charge an additional Rs 15 for reaching the destination via the longer route. People are irked by the longer travel time than the extra ticket price.

Adventurous trip
Even though traffic is banned in the Gap Road, adventure lovers have been regularly taking this route. People in the locality complain that lots of people, who are mostly from outside the district, travel via this road, flouting the rules. They wonder whether the ban applies only to those who obey the rules. Moreover, they warn that accidents or mishaps may happen if the authorities do not take strict actions.
Mudslide prone region
The widening of the Munnar – Bodimettu road in the national highway began on September 18, 2017. Around Rs 381.76 crore was spent on the construction works in the 41.84-kilometre stretch. The contract stipulated to complete the widening works by August 2019. However, the construction was delayed for over five years due to the frequent mudslides in the Devikulam Gap Road. Even though everyone thought that the newly widened road would reduce the number of accidents happening due to mudslides, nothing changed. Meanwhile, the people accuse that the construction has been done by defying the safety guidelines.

No road, no toll!
Now, travellers wonder whether they need to pay tolls to travel on a precarious road that causes accidents due to mudslides, despite renovating it for a staggering sum of Rs 382 crore. As the road remains shut, the National Highways Authority of India stays mum about opening the new toll plaza at Laakkad near Devikulam that was supposed to be inaugurated on August 1. Meanwhile, the toll rates from August 1 to March 31, 2025 too were released. Even though an order was issued to collect tolls from the vehicles from October 10, 2023, onwards, it was repealed after widespread protests from various organisations.

‘Gap’ on tourism
The tourism sector got stalled in the Chinnakanal region after traffic was banned on the Gap Road. The hotels, resorts and homestays functioning in the Devikulam area remain vacant, forcing many of them to shut down. Small businesses too have taken a hit as tourists do not reach here. The Gap Road region, which is the easiest and shortest route from Munnar to Chinnakanal, is part of the Chinnakanal panchayat. Tourists travelling from Munnar often stop at many places to enjoy the serene beauty of the verdant estates on their way to Thekkady.

Since traffic hasn’t resumed on the Gap Road, those who reach Munnar via Kochi return without visiting Chinnakanal and Thekkady. Gap Road is part of the extensive road network that became famous for transporting the infamous jumbo Arikkomban. Meanwhile, people in the locality complain that neither the state government nor the central government turned their attention to Gap Road in the event of a mishap, even though they were vying to take credit while the road was being constructed. Travellers can easily reach Powerhouse waterfalls, Kolukkumala, Suryanelli and Anayirangal via Gap Road. Chinnakanal panchayat president MN Sreekumar urged the authorities to make the Gap Road safe and open traffic by swiftly removing the debris.