Madras HC orders closure of eight resorts in Anaikatti hills over missing approvals

The Madras High Court has directed the Coimbatore district administration to forthwith close eight private resorts in the Anaikatti hills after finding that they did not have planning permission, requisite licences or other statutory approvals.The direction was issued on August 21 on a petition filed by S. Muralidharan, a resident of Chennai, seeking regulation of resorts in Anaikatti and measures to protect elephants. The case concerns resorts in No. 24 Veerapandi and Nanjundapuram village panchayats in Periyanaickenpalayam block. Following earlier court directions, a committee headed by the District Collector conducted joint inspections and submitted its findings to the courtIn a status report dated August 20, 2026, Coimbatore District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar said joint inspections had been conducted between December 2025 and February 2026, during which officials verified various licences and statutory clearances.Based on the inspection report, the court noted that only two of the 10 resorts functioning in the area had proper planning permission, while the remaining eight lacked planning permission and other requisite licences and approvals. The court further noted that the two resorts had obtained Panchayat Administration approval only on July 1, 2026.The High Court has now directed the District Collector to forthwith close the eight resorts and file a report before the court on the next date of hearing. The committee has also been directed to conduct a further field inspection to ascertain whether any other resorts are functioning in the area and to take appropriate action if establishments are found to be operating without the requisite permissions.The court has also directed the District Collector to verify the approvals granted to the two resorts on July 1, 2026, and specifically report any violation or irregularity in the granting of those approvals. The matter has been posted to September 18, 2026. Published - August 26, 2026 06:31 pm IST