Nilgiris district administration closes Kalhatty Ghat Road to tourists again

Following the Madras High Court’s orders, the Nilgiris district administration closed the Kalhatty Ghat Road to tourist vehicles again on Monday (July 27, 2026).

The move follows recent developments in the High Court which questioned the need to allow tourist vehicles to use the dangerous road, known for its high movement of wildlife. The court had ordered that till the case comes up for hearing again on July 31, that the road should remain closed to tourists.

However, local business owners and a section of residents opposed the orders, arguing that the closure of the road will impact business to the area. A total bandh was observed on July 10 to protest the court’s orders, with residents urging the government to intervene and seek the reopening of the road.

Following this, the road remained opened to tourists till Sunday. However, the district administration ordered the road’s closure from Monday.

Conservationists have welcomed the court’s intervention in closing the Kalhatty Ghat Road to tourists. They said the orders do not affect local communities as local (TN-43 registered) vehicles are allowed to use the road. “There is also an imminent threat of a major drought in the Segur due to the lack of rains this year. So limiting tourism is essential in ensuring water availability for local communities as well as wildlife,” said the conservationist.

When contacted, Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru, Nilgiris District Collector, said that the district administration had not closed the road till Monday as they were holding talks with local residents. “As we did not want any law and order issues to arise due to the issue, we had to convince the residents,” said Ms. Tanneeru.