A technical survey of the Burliyar hill road near Coonoor has identified serious safety risks after a landslide triggered by heavy rain killed a government bus driver on October 23. The survey team has recommended widening the road from the mountain side, constructing a stronger retaining wall and installing two layers of protective rockfall netting.
The inspection was carried out on October 27 across the landslide-affected stretches, including Burliyar, in the Nilgiris district. The team included Uttarakhand landslide-prevention technology expert Balraj Singh and Coimbatore Highways Department divisional engineer Shankar.
According to Singh, the road is particularly vulnerable at the location where the landslide occurred because its width is limited. He said the valley-facing side of the road was more dangerous than the mountain-facing side, making measures such as stacking sandbags unsuitable as a long-term safety solution.
Singh recommended cutting approximately three metres into the mountain side using an excavator to widen the carriageway. He also called for a strong retaining wall at the lower section of the road. The recommendations are aimed at improving the stability of the road edge while reducing the risk of vehicles being exposed to the valley-side drop.
The expert further advised that only light vehicles should be allowed to operate on the affected stretch. He also recommended installing two layers of safety netting along the slope to prevent rocks from rolling down onto the road. The measures address two separate hazards identified at hill-road locations: instability at the road edge and falling debris from the mountain side.
The survey follows intense rain in Coonoor on October 23, which caused a landslide on the Burliyar mountain route. Government bus driver Janakaraj died in the disaster, according to the report. The affected road is therefore being assessed not only as a damaged transport link but also as a route where road width, slope stability and vehicle restrictions are directly connected to public safety.
For road users, the recommendations indicate that access may need to be managed according to vehicle size until permanent protection and widening works are completed. However, the report does not state that the proposed works have been sanctioned or provide a completion timeline. The next steps will depend on how the Highways Department responds to the technical findings and whether the recommended retaining wall, road widening and rockfall protection are taken forward.
