Thirteen resorts operating without required approvals in the Anaikatti forest area of Coimbatore district have been closed by their owners, while final action is under way against 12 more, according to a report filed by Coimbatore Collector Pawan Kumar before the Madras High Court. The case concerns alleged unauthorised resort activity in areas used by elephants and other wildlife.
The matter began with a petition filed by environmental activist Muralidharan, who alleged that resorts were operating illegally in the forest area and had encroached on an elephant movement corridor in Survey No. 24 Veerapandi and Nanjundapuram panchayats. The High Court had directed the district administration to conduct a field inspection and take action under the applicable laws.
An initial inspection by a team led by the collector identified 10 resorts in the area. The administration reported that two had approvals and eight were operating without them. The court directed that resorts functioning without permission be closed immediately and ordered the authorities to verify the documents of establishments claiming to have approvals.
Following a subsequent direction from the court, a joint team comprising officials from the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, Rural Development, Revenue and Forest departments inspected all 33 locations listed in an additional affidavit submitted by the petitioner. The collector’s latest report said 13 resorts had been closed by their owners because they lacked approvals from the planning department, the local panchayat or the Forest Department’s no-objection certification. Final steps to close 12 other resorts are under way.
The report classified three establishments—Darsa Resorts, My Village Eco Tourist Resort and Wild Door Cafe—as operating with approvals. It also said that five of the inspected locations were residential properties rather than resorts. The administration has separately issued a notice to the Karamadai-based Aura Jungle Resort after finding additional buildings constructed in deviation from an approved plan.
SR Jungle Resort has applied for building approval and has approached the court seeking directions for the planning department to decide its application within eight weeks. The collector told the court that a closure notice had nevertheless been issued against the establishment. The report did not establish that the pending application itself authorised continued operation.
The petitioner has sought further action beyond sealing the resorts. Muralidharan said permanent fencing at the 13 closed resorts and the five locations identified as residences should be removed to allow wildlife to move freely, and that electricity connections to the closed establishments should be disconnected. He also questioned the approval status of the three resorts listed as authorised, arguing that inspections in December 2025 and February 2026 had found them operating without approval. The court’s next directions will determine how the administration proceeds on those objections and on the remaining closures.
