Munnar to levy entry fees from visitors; green check posts at gateways

Tourists may soon have to pay an entry fee to visit Kerala's Munnar, one of the state's most prominent tourist destinations. Munnar panchayat is considering setting up Haritha check posts at all main entry points to collect entry fees from vehicles. Meanwhile, panchayat president S Vijayakumar said that the rate would be finalised in the committee meeting convened on Wednesday. 

With the rising number of tourists in the region, waste management has become a serious issue, said Vijayakumar. The fee collected from tourists would be utilised to pay the employees who collect waste and to arrange waste management facilities at the tourism spot itself. The check posts would be opened at Old Munnar (Adimali Road), area near the police station (Devikulam Road), and Periyavara Junction (Marayoor Road). In addition to collecting the fee, the tourists would be given bags to store their waste. They could hand over these bags at the check posts themselves when they return. The fee would be determined by the vehicle's size. Vijayakumar said that the vehicles of the local residents wouldn't be charged the fees. 

Entry fee at Kanthalloor
Data show that at least 1,500–2,500 vehicles enter Munnar daily. It would rise to 5,000 vehicles during peak seasons. Meanwhile, Kanthalloor panchayat is already collecting an entry fee by opening a check post near Kovilkadavu. The entry fee here is Rs 50 for small vehicles and Rs 100 for big vehicles.