Ooty, Apr 1: Starting today (April 1), an e-pass is mandatory for travelers visiting Ooty and Kodaikanal. This rule will remain in effect until June 30.The Madras High Court had issued an order on May 7 last year, making e-passes compulsory to regulate the number of tourists and protect the environment in these popular hill stations. However, local vehicles were exempted from this requirement.
Following a recent High Court directive, the e-pass system is being reintroduced from today until June 30.
Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Pavya stated, “From April 1, e-passes will be issued only to a limited number of vehicles on a first-come, first-served basis each day. Checkposts have been set up to verify e-passes before allowing vehicles to proceed.”
Tourists can apply for an e-pass through the official website: https://epass.tnega.org/home. Additionally, checkposts will have QR code scanning facilities for verification.