HC stalls resort demolition in Nilgiris, seeks TN govt's reply

THE first bench of the Madras High Court has given twoweek interim relief to 35 resorts in the Nilgiris facing demolition for being located inside the notified Sigur elephant corridor.

- S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA

On August 16, executive officers of Sholur and Masinagudi town panchayats had issued demolition notices to resort owners, directing them to raze the buildings within 15 days, failing which the government will demolish them and recover the costs from them. The demolition notices were issued based on the order from the Supreme Courtappointed three-member Sigur Plateau Elephant Inquiry Committee.

In response, a few resort owners filed a writ petition challenging the order and demolition notices, claiming the inquiry committee went beyond its scope, from conducting inquiry into allegations of arbitrary variance in the acreage of the elephant corridor to declaring the property title of the resort owners as void under the Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forest Act (TNPPF), 1949.