The Madras High Court has ordered the immediate sealing of 87 resorts operating inside the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district and directed authorities to begin steps to demolish the structures for operating without required permissions.
A special division bench hearing forest-related cases, comprising Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice G K Muthukumaar, issued the directions after considering a report filed by the Erode district collector. The report stated that all 87 resorts were located within the tiger reserve and that none had obtained the permissions required to operate.
The proceedings arose from a plea filed by Karpagam, founder of the Coimbatore-based NGO Oli Awareness Movement. The petition sought action against resorts allegedly operating without approval from the National Board for Wildlife and the Hill Area Conservation Authority.
According to the collector’s report placed before the court, there was also no evidence that the resorts had secured approval from the Hill Area Conservation Authority to use residential buildings for commercial activities. The finding places both the resort operations and the underlying change in land use at the centre of the court’s intervention.
The bench directed the authorities to take immediate steps to lock and seal all 87 resorts. It subsequently ordered officials to initiate action for demolishing the structures. The directions apply to resorts identified within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, a protected landscape in Erode district.
The case highlights the administrative controls that apply to commercial activity and construction within protected areas. Resort operators seeking to function in such locations must comply with the permissions required under wildlife and area-conservation regulations. The district administration’s report, as recorded by the court, found no evidence that the identified resorts had obtained those approvals.
The issue also involves the conversion of residential buildings for commercial use. The collector reported that there was no evidence of approval from the hill-area conservation authority for such use. This means the court’s directions concern not only the existence of the resorts but also the regulatory status of the buildings and the activities being conducted in them.
The order follows a petition by a civil society organisation seeking enforcement action against allegedly unauthorised establishments. By recording the district administration’s findings and directing sealing and demolition proceedings, the court has moved the matter from a demand for investigation to immediate enforcement measures.
The court has adjourned the hearing to November 27. Authorities are expected to proceed with sealing the 87 resorts and begin the further steps directed by the bench before the matter is taken up again.
