Eight private resorts operating in the Anaikatti hills in Coimbatore district have been asked to produce documents showing that they have obtained the required approvals from various government departments, following a direction from the Madras High Court.
The action follows the court’s August 14 order in a long-running case in which S. Muralidharan of Chennai filed a writ petition seeking regulation of illegal resorts in Anaikatti and measures to protect elephants. In an earlier order, the court had directed the constitution of a committee headed by the District Collector to inspect the resorts and submit a report. On August 14, the court sought an inspection report on the resorts.
In a status report sent by Coimbatore Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar to the Government Pleader on August 20, the district administration said joint inspections had been conducted on December 23, 2025, and January 9, February 6 and February 13, 2026. Officials checked documents relating to food safety, trade licences, liquor licences, fire and rescue services, Forest Department permission, building licences and revenue clearances.
The report said approvals had so far been granted to only two resorts through the Special Officer/Block Development Officer (Village Panchayats), Periyanaickenpalayam. The other eight had not produced copies of documents establishing that they had obtained the necessary approvals from the departments concerned.
The eight establishments were directed to submit the relevant documents to the Tahsildar’s office or the Village Panchayat office concerned. Notices issued on August 20 warned that appropriate action would follow if they failed to produce the documents.
Officials also found a resort under construction in the Kondanur area of Veerapandi village panchayat. A notice was issued to the persons concerned, asking them to produce documents relating to permissions obtained from the relevant government departments.
Published – August 25, 2026 08:40 pm IST
