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A community & visitor guide · in association with the Kotagiri Citizens' Group
The NilgirisVisitor & Community Guide

Who runs the district

Officials & representatives

Who does what in the Nilgiris — the offices that run the district and the people who represent you — and where to take an issue or escalate it.

We describe the roles, not named individuals — postings and elected members change. For the current officeholder and contact details, follow the official district links on each card and at the foot of this page.

District administration

District Collector & District Magistrate

The Nilgiris district

  • Heads the district administration and the revenue department
  • Chairs disaster management and relief during landslides, fire and floods
  • Coordinates all government departments in the district
  • Public grievance redress and law-and-order coordination as District Magistrate

Go here for: District-level grievances, disaster and relief matters, and land/revenue escalations.

Collectorate, Udhagamandalam (Ooty)

Who's who (district portal)

Sub-Collector / Revenue Divisional Officers (RDOs)

Revenue divisions — Ooty, Coonoor, Gudalur

  • Run the revenue divisions under the Collector
  • Hear appeals on revenue and certificate matters (RDO court)
  • Oversee taluk administration within the division

Go here for: Appeals on revenue or certificate decisions taken at the taluk level.

District administration

Tahsildars (Taluk offices)

Taluks — Udhagamandalam, Coonoor, Kotagiri, Gudalur, Kundah, Pandalur

  • Taluk-level revenue administration
  • Issue certificates — legal heir (Varisu), income, community, nativity
  • First point for relief and revenue records

Go here for: Certificates and most day-to-day revenue matters — your first stop.

Apply via e-Sevai

Police

Superintendent of Police (SP)

The Nilgiris district

  • Heads the district police force
  • Responsible for law and order across the hills
  • Supervises the sub-divisions and all police stations

Go here for: Serious complaints, escalation above a police station, and law-and-order concerns.

Office of the Superintendent of Police, Ooty

SP office (district portal)

Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs)

Police sub-divisions

  • Supervise the police stations within a sub-division
  • Oversee investigations and local policing

Go here for: Escalation above a station house officer within a sub-division.

For emergencies dial 100 (police) or 112. See emergency contacts for all numbers.

TN Police e-services

Judiciary

Principal District & Sessions Judge

The Nilgiris judicial district (District Court, Udhagamandalam)

  • Heads the district judiciary and the District & Sessions Court
  • Hears sessions cases and appeals from lower courts
  • Chairs the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA)

Go here for: Court matters and appeals; for free legal aid, approach the DLSA.

District Court (eCourts)

Your elected representatives

Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) — The Nilgiris (SC)

The Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency

  • Represents the constituency in the Lok Sabha (Parliament)
  • Raises national and regional issues affecting the hills
  • Recommends local works under MPLADS funds

Go here for: Central-government matters and national policy concerns.

This reserved (SC) seat also covers segments outside the district — Mettupalayam, Avanashi and Bhavanisagar.

Elected representatives (district portal)

Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

Assembly constituencies — Udhagamandalam, Coonoor, Gudalur (SC)

  • Represent their constituency in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
  • Take up local development and state-government matters
  • Recommend works under MLA constituency development funds

Go here for: State-government matters and local development in your constituency.

Elected representatives (district portal)

Local government

Local bodies — municipalities, town & village panchayats

Ooty, Coonoor & Kotagiri municipalities; town and village panchayats

  • Run day-to-day civic services — water, sanitation, streetlights, roads
  • Led by elected chairpersons/councillors and municipal staff
  • Local taxes, trade licences and ward-level works

Go here for: Everyday civic problems — to report one, use the grievance tool.

Report a civic issue
Official 'Who's who' (nilgiris.nic.in)Elected representatives (nilgiris.nic.in)