One-ways, traffic snarls spoil Ooty tourist experience despite e-pass regulation

CHENNAI: It was an experience of falling out of the frying pan straight into the fire for tourists visiting hill station Ooty, as they had to experience the same old tale of navigating one-way roads, making a tiring mudguard-to-mudguard driving, as a heavy inflow of visitors brought the Nilgiris town to a standstill.

This weekend, the number of visitors to tourist spots, including the botanical garden, rose garden, and boat house, increased phenomenally.

According to a Maalaimalar report, visitors had to wait in long lines to get entry tickets and take boat rides. Traffic congestion has become a norm in Ooty despite the e-pass system of regulating entry, rue visitors.

This weekend, vehicles were lined up on both sides of the road for about 3 km on Commercial Road, Collector's Office Road, Bus Stand, Charing Cross, and Ooty-Coonoor Road.

As the e-pass system in the Nilgiris district is in effect until June 30, only 6,000 vehicles are allowed to enter the district from Monday to Friday and 8,000 vehicles on weekends.

E-pass checks are being conducted for out-of-town vehicles at the check posts of Kallar, Kunjapanai, Masinakudi and Gethai.

A one-way road was to be implemented from May 1. Vehicles coming from Ooty will have to enter Ooty via Kunjappanai, and vehicles coming from Mettupalayam will have to enter Ooty via Parliyar.

However, due to a shortage of traffic police to manage the rush, it is not possible to maintain a one-way road in that area, resulting in some vehicles moving on two-way streets.

It worsened traffic congestion at major intersections in Ooty. Tourist and local vehicles were unable to ply. At least 250 police officers are supposed to be deployed to manage traffic. But currently, only 50 are on duty. They are forced to work under a heavy workload, reports say. Social activists have stated that the traffic problem will be solved only if additional police officers are deployed.