DINDIGUL: Over 22 lakh people have registered for securing ePass in Kodaikanal taluk until December 9, 2024. However, only half the number of registered passengers have utilised the pass and visited Kodaikanal, as per data till Monday.
The ePass system for entry to Kodaikanal came into effect on May 7, and is likely to continue for the next two months.
Speaking to TNIE, an official from Dindigul district administration said, "The main objective of the ePass is to control access to Kodaikanal. There has been an enormous surge in registration and we had spotted people registering from across the state, not merely limited to Madurai, Dindigul, Theni and southern districts. As of December 9, the registration numbers stood at 22,79,356 passengers and 3.78 lakhs vehicles. Of them, upon analysing the data, we found that only 9,85,011 passengers and 1.51 lakh vehicles utilised the ePass and entered Kodaikanal till Monday."
The official further said that there was an unwarranted apprehension regarding the rejection of entry, which may have encouraged a significant influx of tourists, residents, and tour operators to register for ePass. Additionally, we anticipate that these numbers may increase over time, particularly with the Christmas holidays after December 25, the official added.
It is important to highlight that many officials expect that the ePass system will remain in effect for the next two months due to the festive season, including Pongal.