[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by ak916

Did you travel? What time did you cross into karnataka and did they stop you to ask for pcr?

Hi ak916, I posted the below update on another thread post my travel.

I drove Kerala to Bangalore yesterday via the Coimbatore- Salem route. I was traveling with family and had taken RTPCR negative report for all of us. Applied for TN epass. There is no transit option now. So you need to select travel out of TN option. I could not get a print so carried all soft copies on mobile.

Started at 4.15 am and was in Bangalore at 10.50 am. Just took a pitstop by the road enroute just to stretch legs. Else it was a nonstop drive. Carried food and water from home. Almost all hotels/restaurants were closed except few isolated ones here n there. Krishnagiri Saravana Bhavan and few A2Bs looked open as shutter was not down. But didnt find any vehicles or ppl outside so not sure if it was functioning.*Traffic was also near zero. So crossing toll booths was a breeze.

About checking: from my home in Kerala to home in Bangalore, we did not face any checking enroute. Neither at Wallayar, nor anywhere in TN nor at Atibelle. There were checkposts at all these places as well as at all district borders in TN. Many had cops too. But nobody was doing any checking. Dont know if it was luck or if they are not very strict.

Hope this update helps anybody planning to drive

[vandemanw]

Is RT PCR still being checked rigorously at Walayar on entry to kerala? What about if travelking by train to kerala?
Planning a weekend trip to kerala this Friday either by car/train

[fluke]

I returned back from Kerala to Bangalore on the 5th of June. Very low traffic through the entire journey and it maybe due to the strict lockdowns in Kerala and TN. Was stopped once after the alappuzha bypass and in TN they asked me for the e-pass on their side of the border at Walayar. TN police had put barricades at many places, but was stopped only once. But be careful, I had to break slightly hard at a couple of places on the highway in TN as the barricades were placed not far away as you come out of a curve. At the Hosur checkpost, I was stopped by the police and asked to make an entry, but the guy at the counter was disinterested and asked me to go off!!

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by fluke

in TN they asked me for the e-pass on their side of the border at Walayar.

What pass is this? Transit pass is not there anymore correct? What category of pass you chose and is this mandatory to have?

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by fluke

I returned back from Kerala to Bangalore on the 5th of June.

Originally Posted by balenoed_

What pass is this? Transit pass is not there anymore correct? What category of pass you chose and is this mandatory to have?

On the same boat, the "transit" pass was very convenient for people passing through Tamil Nadu.

[fluke]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

What pass is this? Transit pass is not there anymore correct? What category of pass you chose and is this mandatory to have?

Once you are logged in, please choose the "Individual/Group Travel via Road
Bike/Auto/Car/Suv(Within a District, Inter-District, Inter-State)" option. On the page that opens up, choose "Others(Going out of TN by road only)". On a subsequent page you have to select the starting point as your entry district into TN.

Actually, these don't matter much. All they look at is the date of travel and they just allow you to pass through. For a lot of people they weren't even stopped.

[rohitoasis]

Guys quick question.

Our family has been booked for Vaccination at Angamaly Apollo Adlux and we will be driving down today from Palakkad in our Car. Our car does not have fasttag yet. We still do have option to pay double the amount and pass through the tolls right?

Also may i know how bad the situation at Kuthiran is? Is it worth taking this route or follow the more scenic route from Alathur?

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by rohitoasis

Guys quick question.

Our family has been booked for Vaccination at Angamaly Apollo Adlux and we will be driving down today from Palakkad in our Car. Our car does not have fasttag yet. We still do have option to pay double the amount and pass through the tolls right?

Also may i know how bad the situation at Kuthiran is? Is it worth taking this route or follow the more scenic route from Alathur?

Kuthiran should be less congested now since traffic is wafer thin. Since inter district mov't is banned in Kerala, were you able to secure an epass for crossing the district border?

[binand]

Originally Posted by rohitoasis

Our family has been booked for Vaccination at Angamaly Apollo Adlux and we will be driving down today from Palakkad in our Car. Our car does not have fasttag yet. We still do have option to pay double the amount and pass through the tolls right?

Also may i know how bad the situation at Kuthiran is? Is it worth taking this route or follow the more scenic route from Alathur?

There is only one toll, Paliyekkara. Last I went through there, cash transactions were not allowed - you had to buy a tag from one of the roadside vendors sitting there to proceed. But it can be bypassed like this: https://goo.gl/maps/As9NXoiZBeHaXW1YA (good roads, a bit narrow - usual Kerala 7.5m wide roads at a guess).

Kuthiran is unpredictable. Due to lower traffic these days you might be able to clear it easily (within 20 mins); the common problem is heavily loaded trucks breaking down on the hill ascend/descend.

Lastly, in Kerala you need a pass for inter-district travel. You have to traverse two borders. Especially the one between Chalakudi and Angamali, which I understand is heavily patrolled.

[rohitoasis]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Kuthiran should be less congested now since traffic is wafer thin. Since inter district mov't is banned in Kerala, were you able to secure an epass for crossing the district border?

Originally Posted by binand

Lastly, in Kerala you need a pass for inter-district travel. You have to traverse two borders. Especially the one between Chalakudi and Angamali, which I understand is heavily patrolled.

Thank you for update on Kuthiran. Thanks for the inter district movement update. We do have a letter from HDFC Bank which is organizing this vaccine drive. I will try uploading that in Jagratha and see if i can get an epass.

Originally Posted by binand

There is only one toll, Paliyekkara. Last I went through there, cash transactions were not allowed - you had to buy a tag from one of the roadside vendors sitting there to proceed. But it can be bypassed like this: https://goo.gl/maps/As9NXoiZBeHaXW1YA (good roads, a bit narrow - usual Kerala 7.5m wide roads at a guess).

Thanks for this update as well. Is there not one more toll after Vadakkenchery just before Kuthiran.

[binand]

Originally Posted by rohitoasis

Is there not one more toll after Vadakkenchery just before Kuthiran.

That one is not operational. From Walayar till Edapalli, there are only two functional tolls - Pampampallam before Palakkad town limits and Paliyekkara after Thrissur limits.

The one you mention is unlikely to be operational before they complete the Kuthiran tunnels. If they tried it would become a major political issue.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by fluke

Actually, these don't matter much. All they look at is the date of travel and they just allow you to pass through. For a lot of people they weren't even stopped.

Thanks for your help, got the pass, entered the starting point as - Walayar Check post, Coimbatore South, Coimbatore.

[rohitoasis]

Update at the end of the journey. No hassles at kuthiran. Crossed in less than 10 minutes in both the trips. In spite of light shower which caused us to fear the worst. Not much of a problem today. Paliyekkara toll did have one leftmost lane which allowed cash transactions both ways. There was no checking by police at both district crossings even at the blockades. There was one near the hospital where we went and one more near the Palakkad Thrissur border. The request we had put in the jagratha portal does not seem to be approved though. Overall 50 odd staff of the bank commuted from Palakkad to this hospital and none faced the hassles maybe because they had the essential service stickers on.

[mykal shoemaker]

Originally Posted by fluke

Once you are logged in, please choose the "Individual/Group Travel via Road
Bike/Auto/Car/Suv(Within a District, Inter-District, Inter-State)" option. On the page that opens up, choose "Others(Going out of TN by road only)". On a subsequent page you have to select the starting point as your entry district into TN.

Actually, these don't matter much. All they look at is the date of travel and they just allow you to pass through. For a lot of people they weren't even stopped.

In TN epass portal , what document we have to upload under "reason for travel". Earlier, the transit pass option never had this attachment requirement.
I am planning a drive from Bangalore to Kollam ,via Thenkasi, Shengottai road. From multiple reports it looks like both TN and Kerala don't need RT PCR report as mandatory. Once this TN pass is ready and Kerala portal registration is completed, I hope I can drive this weekend.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by mykal shoemaker

In TN epass portal , what document we have to upload under "reason for travel". Earlier, the transit pass option never had this attachment requirement.
I am planning a drive from Bangalore to Kollam ,via Thenkasi, Shengottai road. From multiple reports it looks like both TN and Kerala don't need RT PCR report as mandatory. Once this TN pass is ready and Kerala portal registration is completed, I hope I can drive this weekend.

The TN epass is spot generated, you dont need to wait for the approval. Try uploading your Aadhaar card or any ID proof since it's a mandatory field. For Kerala, i believe RTPCR is still mandatory.