OOTY: The 'World Elephant Day', which was observed on Sunday witnessed officials beginning to seal unauthorised resort complexes in the Segur Valley Elephant Corridor in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) buffer zone.
The concerned local body officials who issued notices to the 27 unauthorized resort complexes on Friday, asking them to vacate the premises in two days as per the apex court order, began to seal them from Sunday morning. Though a couple of resort complex owners showed resistance to the sealing process, officials silenced them with police intervention and proceeded further.
Stating that it is a tribute to the true environmentalists who fought for the cause of elephants and a victory for elephant conservation efforts, Mr. G. Janardhanan, president of the Ooty Town Public Awareness Association, said that it was proved in court that all buildings which are being sealed now, ran commercial activities without proper permission.
