Karnataka: Online registration must to visit Mullayanagiri in Chikkamagaluru

After Ooty and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, it is now the turn of Mullayanagiri, a popular tourist destination in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka to go the online registration way.

From next week, tourists who want to visit the highest peak in the Western Ghats about 20 km from Chikkamagaluru need to register online, local media reports said. The district administration has said that online registration is mandatory, and only 600 vehicles per day can go up to the hill station.

The increase in vehicular traffic has necessitated the move for online registration and setting a limit to the number of tourist vehicles per day. Lakhs of tourists flock to the hills, especially on weekends, causing traffic snarls. Environmentalists have also been vocal about the damage to the environment. People visit tourist attractions like Mullayanagiri and the Inam Dattatreya Bababudan Swami Dargah in the Chandradrona mountain range.

Reports said the Chikkamagaluru district administration is associating with the Federal Bank for the online registration on the website and the payment of the registration fee. District Collector Meena Nagaraj said that separate amounts would be charged for 4-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and larger vehicles. A QR code will be issued to those who register online on the website or at various parts of the city including the road leading to Chikkamagaluru.

In Tamil Nadu, the online registration process for tourist and commercial vehicles going to Ooty and Kodaikanal was initiated from May 7 this year following a Madras High Court order. However, there is no limit to the number of vehicles, and everyone who registers online is issued a QR code. The aim is to keep track of the number of tourists and vehicles entering the hill stations during the summer season.