CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has reinforced a total ban on commercial activities in the Segur Plateau Elephant Corridor, following the findings of the Segur Plateau Elephant Corridor Inquiry Committee established by the Supreme Court. This prohibition extends to all resorts and hotels.
The landowners are permitted to maintain and cultivate their properties in an environmentally friendly way that does not disturb the elephants, without installing artificial barriers like electric fences. This was affirmed by a special bench comprising Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy.
The bench reiterated that the committee’s findings, led by former judge Justice K Venkataraman, remain intact, except for the aspect concerning the transfer of properties to the government.
Furthermore, the bench instructed the Tamil Nadu government to declare all revenue lands adjacent to the elephant corridor, sanctuary, and buffer zone around the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve as reserved forests under the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, ensuring these lands are transferred to the forest department.
While noting the importance of notifying the elephant corridor to safeguard elephant migration, the government is also tasked with considering the rights of the landowners, who cannot be disregarded in this process.
Maintaining private ownership in a fully notified area—especially after the removal of electric fences—would render agricultural or plantation activities virtually impossible for these owners.
The court highlighted that this situation may restrict landowners to only engage in commercial activities. As a result, the bench has directed the state to acquire all private lands within the corridor, compensating landowners gradually, with this process starting within six months.
