Traffic chaos in Athirappilly as elephant blocks forest route for 18 hours

Athirappilly: The police and forest department have been grappling with traffic disruptions caused by Kabali, a wild tusker, along the Chalakkudy–Malakkappara state road. Heavy holiday traffic along this forest route has only worsened the situation.
On Sunday, traffic was stalled for nearly 18 hours after the elephant strayed onto the Anamalai state road near Sholayar. Several people were stranded in vehicles deep in the forest, struggling even without access to drinking water.

Around 2:30 PM, a palm tree uprooted by the elephant fell across the road near Sholayar. Kabali ventured onto the road to feed on the fallen palm leaves, completely blocking traffic in both directions.

Malakkappara SI Jaison Joseph and bus conductor Jose, who arrived at the scene, prevented any major incidents. As tourists stepped out of their vehicles to watch the elephant, the duo issued warnings, successfully keeping many from leaving their cars.

A forest department jeep, driven by officials attempting to clear the elephant from the road, narrowly escaped an attack. When Kabali charged at the jeep, a group of bikers present at the scene helped keep officials alert. In total, four bikes and two cars sustained damages during the elephant’s movements.

Meanwhile, the police provided food and water to travellers stranded along the forest route. When the elephant temporarily moved away around 8 pm, about ten vehicles managed to pass through. However, Kabali soon returned, leaving over 100 vehicles stranded until around 7 am on Monday.

With the tusker repeatedly blocking traffic, authorities are now considering stricter traffic regulations along this route to ensure passenger safety. Currently, vehicles are permitted to ply the road only from 6 am to 6 pm.