Supreme Court orders closure of 27 resorts in Nilgiris elephant corridors in Tamil Nadu

The apex court perused the report placed before it by the district collector of Nilgiris which said that resorts with restaurant were operating in the area even though they do not have approval.
The Supreme Court of India (Photo | ANI Twitter)
The Supreme Court of India (Photo | ANI Twitter)

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Tamil Nadu government to shut down 27 resorts and hotels built illegally on the elephant corridor of Nilgiris within 48 hours.

The Centre had told the court that there were 27 critical elephant corridors in 22 states. The counsel representing the petitioner had earlier claimed several hotels and resorts were built in the elephant corridors of Tamil Nadu.

The bench had directed the Nilgiris Collector to file a report on the illegal constructions done in the area and ordered that no more construction be allowed in the elephant corridors. The Collector’s report had listed 39 such resort complexes (with restaurants). Of the 39, 12 were represented in court.

“There is no one present on behalf of the remaining 27 resorts. It is deemed that they accept the Report of the Collector. The Report is to the effect that they are running commercial enterprises even though they do not have approval for the same. They are directed to be closed down or sealed by the Collector,” the bench of Justices Madan B Lokur, Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta said in its order and directed the State to do the needful within 48 hours.

The owners of the 12 resorts were granted 48 hours to produce all documents showing approval and valid title and possession for running resorts before the Collector. If the documentation of any resort was incomplete or showed that approval was not granted, the court directed the Collector to close and seal the premises immediately.  

The Tamil Nadu government had issued an order in August 2010, confirming an elephant corridor map it had published that January. Landowners approached the SC against a Madras HC order against them in this regard.

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