CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the authorities to immediately close down all 87 illegal resorts operating within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and initiate steps to demolish the buildings, as none of them has obtained the required planning permission or building approval.

A division bench comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and GK Muthukumaar, which is hearing cases relating to forest and environmental issues, passed the directive after considering a status report filed by the Erode District Collector.

According to the report, a total of 87 resorts are functioning within the area, and none of them has a planning permission or building approval from the directorate of town and country planning to establish or operate a resort. Further, there are no records to show that permission had been obtained from the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA) for converting the land use from residential to commercial purposes.

The bench observed that immediate action should be taken to close down all the illegal buildings and that further steps should be initiated for their demolition. The petitioner's counsel also brought to the court's notice that some resorts continued to operate through the backdoor even after their closure.

Taking note of the submission, the bench directed that resorts found to be operating without valid licences and permissions should be proceeded against, locked and sealed in accordance with law, followed by demolition.

The bench directed the authorities to file a status report and adjourned the matter to November 27.