21-05-2025
Call to relax traffic regulations during Plantation Crops Show in the Nilgiris
The Neelakurinji Integrated Farmer Producer Company (NIFCO) has written to the Nilgiris district collector to ease traffic restrictions along the Udhagamandalam-Coonoor-Mettupalayam Road during the district's first-ever Plantation Crops Show, to be held at the Kattery Park near Coonoor from May 30 to June 1.
The founder of NIFCO, Hubbathalai N. Sivan, in his letter to the Collector and the Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops noted that the show was 'a good opportunity for the small plantation farmers and big estates to showcase their products – tea, coffee, spices etc., at the stalls of the show, which will provide a large market place and exposure of the products to domestic as well as international tourists and business communities.'
However, he stated that small farmers were worried about attendance to the event due to existing traffic regulations, which made the Mettupalayam-Coonoor-Udhagamandalam road a 'one-way' for vehicles ascending the hills during the weekends. The existing arrangements routed traffic descending from Udhagamandalam via Kotagiri Road.
'Since the show falls on the weekend days, many tourists will miss to see the event due to the existing traffic regulations. Hence, it will be a great honour if the highway is open both ways (for ascending and descending vehicles) for the visit of the tourists to the show during the above three days of the event,' said Mr. Sivan.
