Kovai Kutralam likely to open soon: District Forest Officer

Coimbatore: District Forest Officer said, Kovai Kutralam is likely to open soon. District ForestOfficer Venkatesh said that Kutralam will be reopened soon as steps are being taken. The first lockdown was declared in Tamil Nadu last March due to coronavirus. Following this, the Tamil Nadu government has announced that the tourist attractions and tourist sites that have been closed for the past 8 months have been allowed to operate again with proper prevention measures. Following this, closed tourist sites, including Monkey Falls, have been reopened in Coimbatore district. However, Kovai Kutralam, considered as a major tourist destination by the people of Coimbatore, has not been opened.

This has caused disappointment amongst the public. Due to the current monsoon the Kovai Kutralam is getting a lot of water. As it was closed for the last 8 months, the area has witnessed a high incidence of wildlife including elephants. Apart from this, due to the monsoon rains, rocks and stones have fallen and damaged several places. Therefore, the forest department is currently carrying out rehabilitation work and the Forest officials have promised to reopen Kovai Kutralam once the work is completed.

Coimbatore District Forest Officer Venkatesh said, "Kovai Kutralam has been closed for a long time and maintenance work has to be done. And currently there is wildlife migration. Also the renovation work in Kutralam has been intensified as the government has given permission to open tourist sites. The works are expected to be completed in two weeks and to ensure safety, the security features are being strengthened as there are elephant movements in the vicinity. So the Kovai Kutralam will be opened to the public very soon after all the renovation and safety measures."