E-pass must for tourists visiting Nilgiri district and Kodaikanal Madras High Court
May 03, 2024
Ooty (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 3 : Madras High Court has mandated that all the vehicles entering the Nilgiris district and Kodaikanal must have an e-pass, an official statement said.
As per Madras High Court order from May 7, 2024 all the vehicles coming to Nilgiris district must have e -pass. Citizens residing in the Nilgiris district who have Nilgiris district registration number "TN 43" do not require an e- pass for those vehicles, it said.
Thiagarajan, Regional Transport Officer of Udhagamandalam, said that if the people who bought vehicles from other districts and changed their ownership in Nilgiris district, approach the Udhagamandalam Regional transport Office along with the original registration certificate, insurance certificate, and pollution certificate, it will issue an e-pass after checking the documents,as per the statement.
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 given the name, the Nilgiris, in view 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.
