Chennai: Govt has moved Madras high court challenging its decision to make e-pass mandatory for people visiting Ooty and Kodaikanal and restrict the number of vehicles entering the hill stations during summer holidays.
A special division bench of Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy agreed to hear the plea on Friday.
On March 13, the bench imposed restrictions on the number of tourist vehicles entering Ooty and Kodaikanal. It capped entry of vehicles during weekdays at 6,000 and during weekends at 8,000 for Ooty. For Kodaikanal, 4,000 vehicles would be allowed during weekdays and 6,000 during weekends.
The court passed the order to check vehicular movement in hill stations. It made clear that there is no restriction on the movement of local vehicles and those carrying agricultural produce. Restrictions will be imposed from April 1 and will be implemented until June, the court said.
While the restrictions came into force from April 1, govt moved HC citing severe administrative difficulties and hardship to stakeholders. “The court ought to have considered that the expert committee comprising experts from IIT-M and IIMB sought additional time of nine months to complete the joint study and submit its report regarding the fixation of carrying capacity for the above-said hill stations.”
Imposition of constraints on the vehicle capacity, in the absence of expert opinion and clear data in this regard, can disrupt local economy and livelihood in the hill stations that are primarily dependent on the revenue generated from tourists, the govt added. And allied industries and may suffer severe losses due to such restrictions. “It is without doubt that environmental and ecological considerations should be given more importance when it comes to the preservation of eco-sensitive zones, but an even balance has to be maintained between environmental considerations and the promotion of the tourism industry, taking into consideration the livelihood of those dependent on tourism-related activities,” the state said.