With increasing instances of tourists trying to enter the Nilgiris illegally being reported, the district police have started registering cases and seizing vehicles of tourists from Saturday.
Nilgiris District Superintendent of Police V. Sasi Mohan said that till Saturday people trying to enter the district without valid reasons or without documentation proving that they were local residents were being sent back at border checkposts. However, to serve as a deterrent against people from trying to enter the Nilgiris illegally, the police have started registering cases under Section 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code.
Since Saturday, 10 cases have been registered and seven vehicles have been seized by the police, Mr. Sasi Mohan said.
The SP said that on average, between 700 and a thousand vehicles are entering the district mostly via the Kunjapanai and Burliar checkposts, and that most of the people trying to enter the Nilgiris are tourists or people who own guest houses in the district.
The police said that many people are trying to sneak into the district by taking a detour through reserve forests and circumventing the checkposts. The police are working with the forest department to patrol these areas and prevent people from using the forests as cover to enter the Nilgiris.
“Many people are also stopping at tea shops and eateries at the checkposts and are then using vehicles with a Nilgiris registration to enter, so local DSPs have held meetings with these shop owners to discourage people from doing so,” said Mr. Sasi Mohan.
Village vigilance committees, involving two members of each village have been formed in 350 locations, to intimate police about the entry of outsiders into the district. Police officials said that police personnel have been posted at all 16 border checkposts, with increased strength at Kunjapanai and Burliar. All checkposts bordering Kerala and Karnataka are closed to private vehicles, unless the people travelling in these vehicles have valid E-passes, police officials said.