Yelagiri residents seek safer road on steep Nekkilimedu stretch

Residents of Yelagiri Hills are seeking a straight road on the steep 2.8-km stretch at Nekkilimedu, between Athanavur and Kottur villages. The road has a blind curve, steep gradient, and uneven surface, with a roughly 10-foot-deep gorge along one side. A school bus driver, K Krishnan, who has navigated the hills for over 30 years, said it took nearly half an hour to pass the stretch last week. The bus began rolling backwards due to the incline, and he had to keep shifting gears to move forward. Krishnan carries around 60 students to and from school daily and expressed fear that a slight deviation could send the vehicle into the gorge. Officials said the stretch is part of a ring road project, but work may take a year to begin.