The Kerala Forest Department has begun clearing bamboo and invasive roadside growth along the Kinnimangalam–Kadukulangara Road in Ayyampuzha after residents raised concerns that dense vegetation was blocking motorists’ view of elephants entering the road. The clearing is intended to improve visibility, but residents say it will not end the recurring elephant movement into the area.
According to a report by Mathrubhumi, elephants frequently enter the road in the Kinnimangalam area. Bamboo and spreading reed-like vegetation along the road edges have made it difficult for people travelling in vehicles to see animals until they are close to them. Residents said the limited visibility has contributed to dangerous encounters and that elephants have chased motorcycle riders on several occasions.
The roadside vegetation had remained a concern for local residents for a long period. They had repeatedly asked the Forest Department to cut the bamboo leaning towards the road and remove the dense growth spreading along its edges. The department began the work recently, and officials are expected to need several days to complete the clearing across the affected stretch.
A similar bamboo-cutting exercise was previously carried out in the Pandupara area. The work now under way in Kinnimangalam is the first such operation in that area, according to the report. Once the vegetation is removed, motorists should be able to see elephants or other wild animals standing near the road from a greater distance, giving them more time to slow down or stop.
Residents, however, have stressed that improved visibility is only a partial safety measure. The elephant movement itself is continuing, and roadside clearing does not prevent animals from entering the road or nearby settlements. The lack of street lighting along the road is another serious difficulty, particularly when encounters take place in darkness.
The affected area falls within wards 7 and 9 of Ayyampuzha panchayat. Electric fences have been installed at several points along the forest boundary to prevent elephants from moving into inhabited areas, but residents describe the fences as an unreliable long-term solution. They have called for trenches, which they consider a more permanent barrier, but say the Forest Department has not taken steps towards that work.
Residents also say elephants driven away from the Athirappilly side during special drives often move towards this area. That claim points to a wider coordination challenge in managing human-elephant conflict: measures taken in one forest-edge location can shift animal movement towards another settlement or road. The current clearing operation addresses the immediate visibility problem on the Kinnimangalam–Kadukulangara Road, while demands for lighting and more durable boundary protection remain pending.
