Chennai, Oct 9 The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Erode district administration and Forest Department to take stringent action against all illegal resorts and tourist lodges operating within the prohibited zones of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR).
The court also sought a detailed action-taken report within four weeks. A First Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan issued the directive while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by environmental activist R. Karpagam, 57, from Coimbatore.
The petitioner alleged that 47 resorts and lodges were functioning illegally inside STR without the necessary statutory clearances.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate S.P. Chockalingam told the Bench that the resorts lacked approval from the National Board of Wildlife (NBW), a mandatory requirement under Section 33 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. In addition, he said, they had not secured clearance from the Tamil Nadu Hills Area Conservation Authority (HACA).
Chockalingam submitted that his client had obtained information on the violations through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. In her affidavit, Karpagam stated that the proliferation of unauthorised establishments had increased human pressure on forest ecosystems and caused severe stress to the wildlife population.
“For the forests and hills to survive, these illegal resorts must be removed. The tacit support from authorities has led to the mushrooming of such resorts day by day. If this illegality is not curbed, we may soon lose our pristine forests and wonderful wildlife,” she cautioned.
The PIL named as respondents the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the NBW, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-cum-Chief Wildlife Warden, the Field Director of STR, the HACA, the Erode Collector, and the private resorts and lodges concerned.
State Government Pleader A. Edwin Prabakar informed the Bench that the district administration had already denotified several huts functioning as illegal resorts and issued notices to others found in violation of regulations.
The Bench directed officials to file their compliance report within four weeks and ensure that all unauthorised activities within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve are curbed in accordance with wildlife protection laws.
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