Tourists arriving at Kodaikanal complain that they are being made to put up with opaque rules and harassed to pay hefty bribes to enter the town.
Kodaikanal, the pretty hill station nestled in the fringes of Western Ghats in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu has been witnessing a steady surge of tourists from across the country ever since the lockdown norms were released.
But many have complained that they were subjected to harassment by police constables and men pretending to be from health department, who along with some youth (most likely home guards) cordon off vehicles in the name of checking e-pass and take bribes.
A tourist from Kerala who had come to spend Christmas at the hills said that they were made to pay fine despite having a valid e-pass. Another tourist with a valid e-pass was made to pay ₹500 as ‘social distancing charge’.
The police constables and ‘department officials’ primarily target youngsters, people of other states and those vehicles that are not of Tamil Nadu registration. They ask them for e-pass and if they do have one, they demand ‘fine’ to be paid to enter the hill station with the amount ranging anywhere between ₹1000 – ₹5000. If not paid, they are called into a shady room and harassed further. Tourists from other states who refuse to pay fine are asked to stay in 20 days quarantine.
Even those tourists belonging to the state are not spared. A tourist from Trichy who wished to remain unidentified said that the police and men claiming to be from the health department seized the liquor he had purchased at a TASMAC Elite outlet in Trichy. “There is no rule that prohibits liquor purchased from a registered TASMAC outlet to be carried anywhere within the state. Even if a new rule was promulgated, there is no mention of it anywhere. No signboards exists in the place that says ‘liquor purchased from outside Kodaikanal would not be allowed’. This is just complete fraud. Whatever is going on here in the name of ‘checking is just sheer harassment and illegal.”, said the tourist.
He said that the police had asked him to deposit his liquor at the check-post and collect it while returning back. When asked for a receipt or acknowledgement, the police constable refused to give one stating that it might ‘cost his job’. On the day of his return, the tourist was told that the liquor had been submitted to the DSP’s office.
The issue has been reported in Malayalam media as many tourists from Kerala had raised concerns about the daylight robbery happening in the name of checking.
Many have also urged the Sub-Collector of Kodaikanal Sivaguru Prabakaran IAS to take action against the perpetrators.
Dear @SivaguruIAS sir please look into it ..!!
Kerala Media Blasting #Kodaikanal Check post police officers for Bribe ..!!@Dindiguldistri1👇🏻https://t.co/1oa5SYVFEj
— Dindigul Memes 😉 (@dindigul_memes) December 25, 2020