How to get e-pass to visit Nilgiris and Kodaikanal?

Madras High Court sets vehicle cap for Kodaikanal and Nilgiris to protect environment, issues e-passes for limited entry.

The Madras High Court, expressing serious concern over the roads at Kodaikanal and the Nilgiris being flooded with motor vehicles during the tourist season thereby causing great harm to the environment and hardship to local residents, on March 13, fixed a cap on the number of vehicles entering the two hill stations between April and June. To implement this restriction, limited number of e-passes are being issued to visitors everyday, starting April 1, 2025.

Accordingly, in the Nilgiris, only 6,000 visitor vehicles a day will be issued e-passes during weekdays and 8,000 vehicles will be allowed during weekends. In Kodaikanal, only 4,000 vehicles a day will be permitted during weekdays and 6,000 during weekends.

The restriction does not apply to tourists who visit the hill stations using public transport such as government buses and trains and also to the vehicles of local residents and those which transport essential commodities.

The court also ordered that the tourists visiting the hill stations in e-vehicles to be given preference in issuance of e-pass.