Nilgiris MP A. Raja handing over financial assistance to a women whose house was damaged due to heavy rain in the Nilgiris, on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: SATHYAMOORTHY M

A total of 17 houses were damaged due to the intense rain in the Nilgiris over the last three days, while 275 people have been evacuated from their homes and moved to temporary relief shelters, said Nilgiris Lok Sabha MP A. Raja on Tuesday.

Highways Department men engaged in restoring the Ithalar-Bembatty road in the Nilgiris that was damaged due to heavy rain.
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M

Mr. Raja, along with Minister for Information and Publicity M.P. Saminathan and Coonoor MLA and Chief Government Whip K. Ramachandran, inspected landslip prone areas in Ithalar and Bembatty on Tuesday and also visited temporary relief shelters, where they distributed blankets and relief materials to the people staying there.

A TNEB staff fixing a high tension electricity pole at Sholur Junction near Udhagamandalam on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M

Mr. Raja added that all government departments were working around the clock to ensure the safety of local residents, while efforts were also being taken to restore water and power supply to homes and localities across the Nilgiris.

He said that State and National Disaster Response Force personnel have already been deployed in the Nilgiris with nine additional teams stationed in Mettupalayam and Tiruppur and are in a state of readiness to reach the Nilgiris in case their services were required.

Heavy rain continued in the Nilgiris for the third consecutive day, with an average of 55 mm rainfall being recorded across the district till Tuesday morning.

The Forest Department announced the continued closure of the following tourism spots on Wednesday – Lambs Rock, Dolphin’s Nose, Doddabetta Peak, Catherine Falls, Pine Forest, Eight Mile, Ninth Mile Shooting Spot, Pykara boat house, Cairn Hill and Avalanche.