Madras HC directs Tamil Nadu to introduce e-pass for tourists visiting Nilgiri, Kodaikanal

Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu Government to introduce an e-pass system to permit vehicles carrying tourists to Nilgiris and Kodaikanal from May 7 to June 30.
Nilgiris District collector M Aruna said that the e-pass will have a QR code which will be scanned by our people on the checkpost.
Nilgiris District collector M Aruna told ANI, “We have joined hands with the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) and we have created a software wherein the people can apply and enter Nilgiris. All they have to do is they have to give some basic details like their name, their address, the number of days they are going to stay in Nilgiris, the location where they are going to stay and the vehicle name, type, etc. that is available on the website”.
“After that, an e-Pass will be generated. The ePass will have a QR code which will be scanned by our people on the checkpost. There is no restriction on number of vehicles or number of tourists. With respect to the local persons we have exempted them from the e-passes…,”Aruna added.

The Nilgiris, because of its natural charm and pleasant climate, was a place of Special attraction for the Europeans. In 1818, Whish and Kindersley, who were assistants to the Collector of Coimbatore, discovered the place Kotagiri near Rengaswamy Peak. John Sullivan, the then Collector of Coimbatore was greatly interested in this part of the country. He established his residence there and reported to the Board of Revenue on July 31, 1819.
The Name ‘Nilgiris’ means Blue hills (Neelam – Blue and giri – Hill or Mountain) the first mention of this name has been found in the Silappadikaram. There is a belief that the people living in the plains at the foot of the hills should have been given the name, the Nilgiris, because of the violet blossoms of ‘kurinji’ flower enveloping the hill ranges periodically. The earliest reference to the political history of the Nilgiris, according to W Francis relates to the Ganga Dynasty of Mysore.
Immediately after the Nilgiris was ceded to the British in 1789, it became a part of the Coimbatore district. In August 1868 the Nilgiris was separated from the Coimbatore District. James Wilkinson Breeks took over the administration of the Nilgiris as its Commissioner.
In February 1882, the Nilgiris was made a district and a Collector was appointed in the place of the Commissioner. On February 1, 1882, Richard Wellesley Barlow who was the then Commissioner became the First Collector of Nilgiris