The road to Doddabetta peak from Ooty has been refurbished, bit the wait for its inauguration continues. The delay in opening it to the public is said to be the non-availability of an ‘important’ minister.

Ooty has a large presence on the global map as a tourist destination, particularly for its Botanical Gardens, Rose Gardens, Doddabetta peak, Boat House and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve among others. Thousands of visitors arrive in Ooty daily from across the globe and make it to Doddabetta peak to get an aerial view of Ooty’s natural beauty.

It is in this backdrop that the repair of the potholed 3-km stretch to Doddabetta, under forest department control, was undertaken. Many tourist and private vehicle drivers were inconvenienced by the poor condition of the road. The forest department did some patchy repairs that got damaged during the next rain.

It was through the efforts of the District Collector that about Rs 1.9 crore from the government contingency fund was spent to repair this road and re-lay it. Though the work was over two months ago, no traffic has been allowed through the road which awaits inauguration by a top Minister. Residents are unhappy over the delay as hundreds of families having shops in Doddabetta have been complaining of losing their daily income. Public demand growing for immediate opening of the road by the district administration.

Asked about this, agency planning director Babu said, “We have informed the Minister. He has promised to come in the first week of August and the road will be opened.”