People to be vetted before being allowed into the Nilgiris

  (Source: M . Sathyamoorthy)

With tourists entering the Nilgiris illegally after the approval of e-passes was automated, the district administration has got special clearance from the government to revert to the old system, whereby e-passes will be approved only for those with legitimate reasons to travel to the district.

On Thursday, Collector J. Innocent Divya announced the change to the rules governing the issuance of e-passes.

“The system has already been revised similar to how it functioned before the ease in travel restrictions was announced,” said the Collector. The decision comes in the wake of reports that people from other districts were travelling to the Nilgiris for tourism.

Tourists blamed

The almost unrestricted entry of 2,000-2,500 people a day into the district over the last couple of weeks has partly been blamed for the increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, with an average of more than 50 cases being reported every day.

“From now on, only people with legitimate reasons will be allowed into the Nilgiris,” said Ms. Divya, adding that these restrictions would curtail the entry of tourists into the district.