The Madras High Court has ordered visitors to the well-known hill towns of Ooty and Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, to use e-passes in an important effort to control the number of tourists and preserve the natural balance. During the busiest travel period, from May 7 to June 30, this decision will take place to control vehicle traffic and protect the Nilgiris biosphere.

The concerning information in a government status report, which said that over 20,000 vehicles; roughly 11,500 automobiles, 1,300 vans, 600 buses, and 6,500 two-wheelers enter the Nilgiris every day, had an impact on the court's ruling. The judges, D Satish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy highlighted the value of biodiversity and the Western Ghats' vulnerable condition, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

The e-pass system, which was utilized for inter-district mobility during the COVID-19 outbreak, will now be used to gather information for an extensive study on the carrying capacity of the ghat roads. Locals, commercial cars transporting essentials, and vehicles carrying agricultural products will be free from this regulation, even if e-passes will be needed for all visitors. 

The court observed that in addition to interfering with locals' daily lives, the excessive traffic posed a serious threat to the environment. The roads, which are already overflowing with traffic, obstruct elephant paths, resulting in congestion and leaving cars stranded in forests, thereby harming the ecosystem beyond repair.   

The Madras High Court has assigned two esteemed organizations, the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, to conduct a research aimed at establishing the carrying capacity of Ooty and Kodaikanal to ease these worries. The results of this study will play a major role in developing long-term plans for environmentally friendly travel and preservation. An individual must complete the application process for an e-pass on government websites by providing their personal information, cab/driver details, and other required documents to receive an e-pass. 

According to the Madras High Court, there won't be any limits on the number of vehicles that can visit hill stations by issuing e-passes, even if the system is in place to control traffic and gather data. The main goals of the e-pass system are environmental preservation and tourist traffic management.   

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