Ooty E-Pass: Here Are The 5 Check Posts In Nilgiris - How To Book Passes Online?

In line with the Madras High Court's directive issued on April 7, the Nilgiris district administration has now limited the enforcement of the e-pass system to just five key checkposts- Kallar, Kunjapanai, Masinagudi, Mel Gudalur, and Geddai. This revised system came into effect from April 22.

Other Entry Points Remain Open

As a result, other entry points such as Kakkanalla, Nadugani, Thalur, Pattavayal, Choladi, and Gudalur will now remain open for unhindered travel-particularly aiding non-tourist visitors and traders commuting from the neighboring states of Kerala and Karnataka. However, travelers at these points will still be required to pay the mandated green tax.

The move to streamline the e-pass system stems from a court-mandated initiative aimed at collecting data on tourist inflow and vehicular entry to gauge the ecological carrying capacity of the Nilgiris. The high court had earlier instructed the implementation of the e-pass system from May 2024.

Why Restrictions On Vehicle Movements

To regulate tourism traffic during the peak season, the court also imposed a cap on vehicle entry-limiting it to 6,000 per day on weekdays and 8,000 on weekends.

Vehicles registered within the Nilgiris district are exempt from the e-pass requirement.

To minimize human error and enhance the monitoring process, a boom barrier integrated with the e-pass system has been installed at the Kallar checkpost. Additional Collector H R Kaushik explained that the automated system is linked to servers at the district collectorate in Ooty, enabling real-time detection of e-pass status and seamless green tax collection through FASTag-enabled vehicles.

How to Generate an E-Pass:

Visit https://epass.tnega.org/home and log in.
Choose whether you are traveling from within India or from outside India.
Select one of the options.
Enter your phone number to receive an OTP.
Choose your destination.
Provide your details such as name, address, duration of stay, etc.
Enter your vehicle details including name, number, and other relevant information.
Complete the process to generate the pass.