Tourist spots reopening in the Nilgiris are getting cleaned and prepared for welcoming visitors

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Tourist spots that would reopen in the Nilgiris are getting cleaned and prepared for welcoming visitors.

Nilgiris district collector, J. Innocent Divya, said that all tourist spots run by the Tourism Department and the Eco-Development Committees (EDCs), managed by the Forest Department and local communities, will start functioning from today as per the directions of the State government.

While the parks and recreational areas run by the Horticulture Department, such as the Government Botanical Garden, Sims Park, Rose Garden and Kattery Park, are open since last month, other tourist spots like the Ooty Lake and Boat House, Pykara Lake, Ninth Mile, Doddabetta Peak and Kodanad View Point have remained closed since March of this year.

Northey Kuttan, a member of the indigenous Toda community, and the president of the Pagalkodu Mund EDC, which is looking after maintaining the Ninth Mile Shooting Spot, said that preparations to safely open the area for the public are complete. “Based on the instructions of the government, we have provided hand-sanitizers, gloves and masks to all the staff working in the EDC. We will also disinfect the area such as ticket stalls and sitting areas every two hours,” said Mr. Kuttan.

Microphone and speaker systems have also been installed to make announcements to tourists to maintain physical distancing at all times and to wear masks while visiting.

In the Boat House, boatmen spent the weekend repairing their boats and finishing all maintenance works. “The boats have been unused since March, so some of them needed to be repaired,” said one of the boatmen working at the Ooty Boat House.

Shopkeepers around the area would also reopen, after being closed for last few months.

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