Once a dream route for travellers drawn to the charm of Munnar, the Gap Road was a picturesque path that carried the famous convoy transporting Arikomban the elephant from Chinnakkanal—an image etched in public memory. The road, adorned by hills, paddy fields, and drifting clouds, offered a scenic journey like no other.

However, this beauty now hides a grim and ongoing threat—repeated landslides and rampant illegal quarrying. Built by the British after the Great Flood of 1924, the road was allotted ₹381 crore for reconstruction in 2017. But instead of focusing on rebuilding, contractors allegedly prioritized blasting and selling excess rock for commercial gain.

Excessive use of explosives led to large-scale quarrying inside the hills, resulting in nearly ten major landslides. A fatal incident occurred in 2019. According to a 2020 report submitted to the District Collector, over 2.5 lakh cubic meters of rock were illegally quarried—worth more than ₹31 crore in the market—while the official recorded loss was a mere ₹4.52 crore.

Most recently, on May 12, 2025, another landslide struck. Fortunately, no vehicles were present at the time. Locals now demand accountability, stating that the administration ignored both an early warning from an NIT team and a Sub Collector’s report.

Before these hills become just memories, the time to wake up is now.