CHENNAI: The Madras High Court, on Thursday, issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government and two Central agencies -- National Board of Wildlife and National Tiger Conservation Authority -- over illegal resorts in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode.
A vacation bench of justices MS Ramesh and Mohammed Shaffiq passed the order based on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by Dr R Karpagam, founder of Oli Awareness Movement, seeking orders to close and evict all the illegal resorts located in the periphery of STR.
The bench adjourned the matter to June 23, 2022. The petitioner stated that the RTI information received from the Office of the Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director reveals that there were 47 illegal resorts/lodges functioning within the overall boundary of STR.
These resorts neither got the statutory approval from the National Board of Wildlife nor the requisite clearance from the Hill Areas Conservation Authority (HACA).
As resorts function in over 300 sqm requires to get clearance from the HACA, the owners adopt tactics of raising several units of less than 300 sqm and used them as a whole, she alleged. The rising human population and its growing demands for socio-economic development put increasing stress on forests, including protected areas, both directly and indirectly.
She also alleged that the authorities concerned, though well aware of the illegalities, remain mute spectators or act hand in glove with those violating the laws. "If this illegality is not curbed, we may lose our pristine forests and wondrous wildlife. Ever growing resorts and increased tourism pose danger to the ecosystem," Karpagam said.
She noted that the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, also enable the protection of wildlife. Further, the provision of The Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, and the rules under HACA guarantee the survival of hills and their ecology but they are not implemented in their true spirit.