NILGIRIS: The Madras High Court has directed the Nilgiris district administration to proceed with the demolition of five more resorts located in the Segur Plateau elephant corridor in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), as their owners failed to file affidavits explaining their stand before the court.
A Division Bench comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Lingeswaran issued the direction in the third week of October while hearing a writ petition (WP No. 27356 of 2019) seeking protection of the elephant corridor in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR).
According to a status report submitted by the district administration, of the 38 resorts sealed within the elephant corridor, four have been completely demolished and four others partially demolished.
While owners of 25 resorts have filed affidavits before the court, five have failed to do so.
Taking note of the report, the bench directed the authorities to proceed with the demolition of the five resorts in accordance with law.
With regard to the resorts whose owners have filed affidavits, officials from the Revenue and Forest departments have been directed to inspect the premises and ascertain whether the buildings are still being used for commercial activities.
The bench directed the authorities to file a status report on these aspects at the next hearing on December 18, 2026.
The court also took note of the district administration's efforts to reclassify government lands as reserve forest. An additional 424.45 acres of government land has been reclassified as forest land, apart from 35.44 acres that had already been brought under the forest category. Mutation of the lands in the revenue records is under way.
Further, 107.91 acres has been proposed for notification under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Forest Act.
The Nilgiris collector has also been directed to furnish details of the nature and total extent of revenue lands adjoining the elephant corridor.
Meanwhile, a Joint Committee headed by the collector, with the district revenue officer and settlement officer, Gudalur Janmam Lands, as member secretary, and the deputy director of MTR, Masinagudi, as convenor, will examine the identified lands in phases to determine their suitability for acquisition.
As a first step, the committee has proposed identifying critical areas, particularly lands located near riverbeds and water bodies, for detailed examination.
