Fire phenomenon still rages at Neethi
Udhagamandalam: More and more people are thronging Neethi, where a spot has been belching out smoke for the past nine days.Unmindful of the road leading to the spot being in an appalling condition, people from various parts of the district and tourists are making a beeline for the area. Though experts from Chennai and Coonoor, who inspected the spot, made it clear that it was not related to any volcanic activity, the leaping of flames from fissures and the increase in the volume of smoke have caused the locals concern.A number of trees have fallen, their roots charred; more are on the verge of collapse.The acrid smell of burnt earth and trees has enveloped more area.Samples of the burnt earth, wood and the gas were taken a few days ago, but the results of the test are yet to come out, sparking speculation about the cause.Sundari, of Ekoni, who has been collecting eucalyptus leaves in the area for the past 10 years, told The Hindu on Sunday that authorities should take steps to allay the people's fears. Environmentalist J. Lakshminarayanan said the absence of any convincing reason for the phenomenon left the people baffled.Official sources said a team from New Delhi was likely to inspect the spot soon.
