Chennai: Merchants, business owners, taxi drivers, and hotel and restaurant operators in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district have declared their support for a district-wide bandh on April 2, protesting the newly-implemented e-pass system that restricts the number of tourist vehicles allowed into the hills.
The protest has been called by the Nilgiris District Traders Association in response to a Madras High Court order that came into effect on April 1 and will remain in force until June 30.
The ruling limits the number of tourist vehicles permitted into the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal to 6,000 on weekdays and 8,000 on weekends.
While vehicles for medical and other emergencies, government buses, goods transport, and district-registered vehicles are exempt, the rest will require e-passes for entry.
The High Court also emphasised giving priority to vehicles using sustainable and non-polluting fuels during the e-pass allocation process.
According to Dindigul Collector S. Saravanan, the Chief Secretary recently chaired a meeting to finalise the implementation process.
He noted that last year, around 15 per cent of the issued e-passes were cancelled, depriving genuine tourists of the opportunity to visit the hill stations.
To address this, the administration plans to maintain a buffer of e-passes to account for possible cancellations.
Additional measures include close monitoring of bulk bookings and e-pass checks at the foothills to prevent traffic congestion, particularly at high-traffic areas such as Silver Cascade.
While some glitches are expected in the first 15 days, officials assured that these will be quickly resolved.
However, confusion remains over the composition of the 6,000–8,000 permitted vehicles. The district administration has not yet clarified how many passes will be allocated to private buses, mini-buses, vans, cars, or two-wheelers.
The High Court has also directed the Nilgiris administration to arrange parking areas at the foothills where private vehicles can be left, with Electric Vehicles ferrying tourists to popular spots.
However, it is still unclear whether these parking facilities are ready for operation. Hotel and Restaurant association leader Francis KM said that while hotels will remain open due to existing bookings, the association will support the bandh in principle.
He also raised concerns about the inclusion of local residents’ vehicles in the tourist vehicle count.
“Many families in the Nilgiris own cars registered in other districts. If these are also counted as tourist vehicles, it will reduce the number of e-passes available to actual visitors,” Francis said.
He added that the District Collector has promised to convey these concerns to the state government.
Meanwhile, similar discontent is brewing in Kodaikanal, where stakeholders argue that the vehicle cap — 4,000 on weekdays and 6,000 on weekends — may not be realistic.
Critics point out that while the cap appears to be based on the number of registered hotels, cottages, and homestays, which is around 7,000, there are numerous unlicensed accommodations that were not factored in.
As April 2 approaches, the hills are bracing for a tense standoff between local stakeholders and authorities over the implications of the new e-pass regime.
(IANS)
