A lone tusker halted traffic on the Coonoor Mettupalayam highway for close to an hour. Vehicles were stalled on road due to the presence of the pachyderm.
The Nilgiris: A lone tusker halted traffic on the Coonoor Mettupalayam highway for close to an hour. Vehicles were stalled on road due to the presence of the pachyderm.
The roadside jackfruit trees on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam highway are rife with ripe fruits, attracting herds of elephants.
A lone tusker that appeared suddenly on the highway today, halted the traffic in the area. Vehicles lined up on the road. The elephant that seemed in no hurry stood in the middle of the road for close to an hour and then walked past the vehicle, but later stood in the middle of the road again.
Vehicle drivers waited patiently without making much noise. After an hour, the elephant went back into the bushes to the relief of the stalled drivers and passengers and traffic resumed thereafter.
Forest Department officials could not arrive from Coonoor due to the sudden arrival of the tusker and the traffic snarl . Since the movement of elephants on the highways has increased, the drivers have requested that forest department should conduct patrols before anything untoward happens.