COIMBATORE: Three residential buildings, which were converted into a home stay for commercial purposes in violation of town planning norms, were sealed by the Ooty municipal administration on Thursday.

The violations were discovered during an inspection by officials from the Town Planning Department. “One structure on Chetan Road, which was approved as a residence, had nine rooms, while two other buildings in Pudmand comprised a total of 16 rooms.

All three buildings were sealed for violation,” said an official. The action follows a recent Madras High Court order to address such violations in the Nilgiris, an ecologically sensitive region prone to landslides and soil erosion.

“Inspections over the past month have resulted in 12 buildings being sealed in the hill district. Further intensive checks were planned in the coming months,” the official added.