Udhagamandalam: Desperate for a break but no respite in sight. With this being the status on the weather front in the Nilgiris the people in general and motorists in particular are being subjected to a harrowing time .

On the one hand the incessant rains are triggering landslides and boulder falls apart from uprooting trees on the roads cutting through the hills and on the other visibility has been reduced to a few metres by the thick mist and steady drizzle. This has put motorists in an unenviable position.While even during the day they are forced to switch on their head and fog lights,after dusk their driving skills are tested to the maximum. Making matters worse is the considerable increase in the number of vehicles and the inexperience of many of the drivers especially from the plains,in handling the hilly terrain. For their part the traffic police are doing their best to educate the motorists on how to drive in such weather. Though helpful  the weather continues to have the upper hand.

On the brighter side the difficulties notwithstanding,many tourists are enjoying the eyeful they are getting while on the hill roads owing to the surroundings having been rendered verdant by the wet weather and the numerous waterfalls created by the mountain streams.