Madras High Court orders immediate closure of 87 illegal resorts in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve

Representational image | Photo Credit: M. Govarthan

The Madras High Court has directed the Erode district administration to immediately close 87 resorts operating without the mandated planning permission and building approval in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) area and initiate steps for demolition of the illegal buildings in accordance with law.

The action follows a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by environmental activist R. Karpagam of Coimbatore. In her petition, she stated that illegal resorts operating inside the reserve were causing severe environmental damage to the hill region.

A Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and G.K. Muthukumar issued the directions in an order dated October 30, 2026 which was made available on November 3. The Bench took note of a status report filed by the Erode Collector, which stated that there were 87 resort establishments in the area and none of them had obtained planning permission or building approval from the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP).

The report also stated that there were no records to show that the establishments had obtained permission from the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA) for converting land use from residential to commercial purposes. The judges observed that all the illegal buildings should be closed immediately and steps taken for their demolition.

Non-disclosure by 2 resorts

The court also noted that two resorts had approached another Division Bench through writ petitions and obtained interim orders without disclosing that the issue was already pending before the present Bench, which specifically deals with forest-related cases.

Observing that the establishments had not approached the court with clean hands, the Bench directed the Registry to tag the two petitions with the present PIL and list them before it after obtaining the necessary orders from the Chief Justice.

The court also took note of the petitioner’s counsel’s submission that some resorts continued to operate through the backdoor despite closure. It directed the authorities to proceed against resort establishments found functioning without valid licences and permissions, lock and seal them in accordance with law, and subsequently initiate demolition action. The Bench directed the authorities to file a status report detailing the action taken by November 27.

Copies of the October 30 order were marked to the Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, the National Board for Wildlife, the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Hill Areas Conservation Authority.

Published - November 03, 2026 04:50 pm IST