E-pass comes into effect for vehicles entering Valparai

Enforcement of e-pass for vehicles entering Valparai came into effect from Saturday, November 1.

Officials involved in the verification process said a majority of the visitors were aware of the mandate and came with e-passes they obtained in advance.

Vehicles to the hill station were stopped at Aliyar and Malakkappara checkposts for the verification of the e-pass.

Temporary staff employed by Kottur town panchayat are verifying the e-pass at Aliyar, close to the Forest Department checkpost. QR code to access the e-pass portal has been displayed at Aliyar for the convenience of people, who are unaware of the new arrangement.

Forest Department staff conduct their routine checking of vehicles additionally.

The e-pass verification at Malakkappara checkpost for vehicles entering the hill station from the Kerala side is handled by temporary staff employed by the Valparai Municipality. A temporary booth has been arranged to assist people, who are unaware of the new mandate.

Officials involved in the e-pass verification said there is no cap for the number of e-passes being issued during November and December as a trial. They said that e-passes to be issued for two months will help understand the vehicular traffic and inflow of people to the hill station. This data will further help set a cap for the number of vehicles to Valparai, they said.

E-pass to hills stations can be obtained from official website https://www.tnepass.tn.gov.in/homes