SC to set up committee to consider removal of resorts from elephant corridors

The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated to set up a committee headed by a retired judge and comprising experts to consider the issue of removal of structures as well as other commercial establishments, including resorts, around elephant corridors in Nilgiris.

"We are not going to allow anyone in the elephant corridor. If you are in the path and your presence was authorised, you will be compensated. The elephant is powerful but at the same time fragile. In Africa, whole herds have been wiped out. The eco-system is fragile, the type of money that has gone into poaching, they can be wiped out," a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna told a group of counsel, representing structure owners.

The court reserved its orders, saying no resorts can be created in the corridors, meant for free movement of tuskers.

On a plea by counsel that the structures were raised in view after taking due permission from the Collector, the bench said the Committee would look into the matter, including assessing of compensation amount.

Of all the applicants, one is actor Mithun Chakraborty, whose resorts along 25 others was directed to be sealed or closed down by the top court earlier for having been raised in elephant corridors in Nilgiris.

“Elephant is the national heritage animal. Is this the way, we should treat our heritage,” the court had asked, as the lawyers had tried to contend that the commercial complexes like resorts were raised after due permission.

The court was hearing a 1996 PIL filed by A Rangarajan, wherein directions were issued that no construction would be allowed in the elephant corridors as mentioned in the Elephant Task Force titled as 'Gajah'.

The elephant corridors in the Nilgiris is comprised of 22.64 km length and 1.5 km breadth. It is considered as only viable connectivity for about 900 elephants between the Eastern and the Western Ghats.