CHENNAI: As the calendar pointed to summer holidays and the sweltering veyil arrived, the next step was packing a suitcase and scrambling towards a rapid escape to the hills. From the Manjummel Boys-like rambunctious gangs, and families to newly-wed couples, the lush green misty landscape, cool breeze, and sunshine beckon to all tourists. May, for me, was synonymous with the roads of Bandipur, skating around Kodaikanal Lake, eating innumerable bread omelets, and trekking up to Coonoor’s Dolphin’s Nose.
As for conservationist and historian Nanditha Krishna, her childhood was spent walking all over Ooty for miles across open landscapes. Every summer, a ride up through hairpin bends in their family Chevrolet, the hills provided a place of leisure dotted with old buildings and open spaces. “It was not a touristy place, it was a place to relax,” she says. However, in recent times, “the traffic is terrible, it took me two hours to get through, we were nose to bumper and stuck like New York City. I don’t expect to see New York in the Queen of the Hills. The air is full of methane and carbon dioxide,” she says.
In a bid to assess this traffic and preserve the hills, the state government special division bench the Madras High Court recently directed the state government to introduce an e-pass system for tourist vehicles entering the two hill stations. From today till June 30, vehicles meandering through the dense forests must obtain this pass to enter the hills.
According to a report in The New Indian Express, the court also noted “human beings cannot exist on earth without bio-diversity and it is critical to preserve such pristine places in the interest of all humans.” Currently, 10,000-15,000 footfall is received during peak season and around 2,000 to 3,000 during the off-season, says Nilgiris Collector Aruna M, adding that this e-pass will estimate the carrying capacity of the forest.
This judgment has been a demand of local activists for the past two to three years, mentions Ooty-based N Sadiq Ali of Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust. “Almost 30% of tourists visit Mudumalai, Emerald Lake, or go towards Gudalur. They lack discipline, litter, try to feed the wild, and they throw plastic inside the forest. We have seen many cases of animals like elephants and deer eating this food with plastic and later facing death.” He points out that this e-pass system may generate worry in tourists, and in a domino effect, instill discipline, but this will not bring a large impact.
Welcoming the move, animal activist Antony Rubin, says, “This is the e-pass to study the population and movement as there is no data about the influx and tourist footfall, the next step would be deciding to restrict numbers as every space has its carrying capacity. Plying vehicles bring pollution and ecological damage and Ooty and Kodaikanal are close to forests.” He adds that e-passes give local administrations time to plan for the inflow and manage garbage, and water. “It gives a bird’s eye view to help prevent entry into wildlife areas.”
He suggests a foolproof data collection method could be Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Cameras at all entry points to record the number of vehicles entering and exiting each hill station.
Beyond stats
In 1819, Jackson Sullivan, the then-collector of Coimbatore, wrote to Madras governor Thomas Munro, noting the blue hills resembled the beauty of Switzerland. Decades later, these landscapes have dwindled, dotted with plastic, bottles, and other garbage.
Over the years, humans have encroached on lands, disturbing fragile elephant corridors, bird species, and tiger habitats. “All the land (in Nilgiris) where there is man-animal conflict were elephant zones. People are encroaching onto wildlife and forested areas, with no control. They come through the wildlife sanctuaries like Bandipur and Mudumalai at such a speed and hit wildlife, there has to be some respect and speed control” says Nanditha.
According to the Elephant Census in 2023, there were 2,961 elephants in Tamil Nadu, and the Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are among the most endangered species in the world. “On an average about 400-450 people lose their lives annually due to such conflict in India and around 100 elephants are killed in retaliation for the damage they cause to human life and property,” points out a report titled ‘Right of Passage’.
As habitats continue to be lost and elephant deaths are on the rise, data is not enough. “The government can educate tourists through media or social media that they shouldn’t be stopping the vehicle or littering. This will help the wild to live in peace. We suggest the government must levy more entry tax. Currently, they are charging `20-`30 but people must feel like ‘we are paying more while entering’ and feel responsible,” says Sadiq.
Beyond data, the activists suggest that the movement of vehicles must be restricted, the number of safaris should be restricted to bookings with time limits, and patrolling must be increased in forests. “Learn from what Bhutan has done, they control the tourists. We must also stop this mushrooming of lodges as well,” says Nanditha.
Tips while travelling to hill-stations
Never litter anything on the road
Never taunt or feed wild animals
Ghats driving is very different from plains, so negotiate the curves carefully
Log onto https://epass.tnega.org/home for registration.