THENI: V Janaki, who was appointed advocate commissioner by the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court to inspect a building owned by a petitioner at Megamalai, visited the site on Saturday. She held inquiries with the petitioner, P Anandan, and labourers at the building. Sources said the advocate commissioner is likely to file a report on the inspection in the court on Wednesday.
Anandan had in September filed the petition challenging an order passed by a single judge for the demolition of three resorts, including the building owned by him, functioning illegally in the reserve forest area. The petitioner claimed his building was just a quarter for labourers and not a private resort. A bench comprising Justice R Mahadevan and J Sathya Narayana Prasad appointed Janaki as advocate commissioner to verify the claims.
According to an RTI reply received by Pandi, a resident of the district, the Public Information Officer of G Mayiladumparai Panchayat Union said four private resorts namely Ayyappan, Tamilan Anduvan, Pon Karna and Kubendran are functioning in Megamalai. Sources alleged that Pon Karna resort which belongs to Anandan is listed on several websites.
The Single Judge order in September read, "As per the Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forests Act, 1949, and section 2 (ii) of Conservation of Forest Act, 1980, any forest land or any portion thereof cannot be used for non-forest purposes without prior permission of the Central government."
After recording statements of Anandan and his labourers on Saturday, advocate commissioner Janaki inspected the building's rooms, sewage disposal channels, and water sources. She also perused the registers and records maintained at the building.