e-Pass portal for entry to hill stations

The Tamil Nadu government announced the launch of a portal for registering to obtain an e-Pass to enter the hill stations of the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal from May 7 to June 30, as mandated by the Madras High Court.

Registrations on the portal – epass.tnega.org/ – will begin at 6 a.m. on Monday. An e-Pass is mandatory for tourists and commercial vehicles.

There will be no restriction on the number of e-Passes issued to those visiting the two hill stations.

Nilgiris Collector M. Aruna said that details such as the type of vehicle used by visitors, the number of visitors, the duration of the visit, the place of stay, etc., will have to be shared to procure an auto-generated e-Pass. She said that residents of the Nilgiris who have vehicles registered outside the district should approach the Regional Transport Office in Udhagamandalam to procure passes for their vehicles.

Dindigul District Collector M.N. Poongodi on Sunday said those intending to visit Kodaikanal hill station from May 7 to June 30 can obtain an e-pass by accessing the website epass.tnega.org, which will be activated from May 6 (Monday) onwards.

In a press statement, the Collector said that following the Madras High Court order, the district administration has arranged to issue e-pass to the public visiting the hill station from other districts and States.

Tourists traveling by public transport have been exempted from obtaining the pass.

Putting at rest the confusion that the public may not be able to visit the hill station and that there may be hindrances, the Collector said that to get the e-pass, the applicant has to furnish certain basic information, such as his/her name, number of passengers traveling, vehicle type, and place of stay, among others, from his/her mobile phone itself.

Foreign tourists can fill in the particulars through mail and get the e-pass.