Chennai: Madras high court has directed demolition of 87 unauthorised resorts operating without the required permissions in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode district.A special division bench for forest-related cases, comprising Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice G K Muthukumaar, issued the directions on a plea moved by Karpagam, founder of Coimbatore-based NGO Oli Awareness Movement.She moved the court seeking action against illegal resorts operating in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve without the approval of the national board for wildlife and the hill area conservation authority.When the plea came up for hearing, the Erode district collector filed a report stating that 87 resorts were located within the area of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and that none of them had obtained the requisite permissions to operate. It further stated that there was no evidence of approval from the hill area conservation authority for using residential buildings for commercial activities.Recording the report, the bench directed authorities to take immediate steps to lock and seal all 87 illegally operating resorts and subsequently initiate steps to demolish the structures and adjourned the hearing to Nov 27.
