The Bench of the High Court of Madras has ordered joint inspection by all line departments of the State government to ascertain if illegal resorts are functioning in Anaikatti, bordering Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Bench comprising of judges Justice N. Sathishkumar and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy passed the order while hearing a writ petition filed by S. Muralidharan of Chennai, seeking to regulate illegal resorts in Anaikatti and to ensure elephant protection and banning of inter-State night traffic.
The order said the joint inspection by the District Forest Officer and all other line departments should ascertain whether any property or land is used as resorts/staying facilities for tourists and if so whether they are working after getting due permission since the village comes under the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA). In addition, the committee should ascertain whether the land owner had applied for conversion of land use before HACA.
The panel should also ascertain if there is any prohibited activity of the resort within the ecologically sensitive area, if the resorts are commercial, and are run with due licences. The bench also directed the panel to inspect every suspected illegal resorts/staying facilities and submit a report to the court before November 28.
The panel includes the Coimbatore Collector as the head, District Forest Officer, Block Development Office as executive authority and Tahsildar of the concerned taluk. With regard to the plea for a ban on night traffic, the court suggested speed control and protective measures for four km running through Thadagam reserve forest in the Coimbatore Forest Division.
The other measures suggested by the court include warning sign boards, imposition of speed limits, and warning to the vehicles to use low beam head lights.
Published – November 09, 2025 06:41 pm IST
