“Elephant is a gentleman and man should give way for it,” remarked the Supreme Court of India while upholding the notification with respect to Nilgiris Elephant Corridor by the Tamil Nadu government. In a powerful observation, the Supreme Court said that Elephants are big and powerful but they are fragile animals. The court also mentioned that they were dealing with a fragile eco system.
While hearing a petition related to demolishing/sealing about 800 buildings in the elephant corridor, the Supreme Court also pointed out the large sum of money involved in poaching and noted the case of rampant poaching of rhinos in Assam.
Stressing that man should give way to elephants, the court said that they are not going to allow any one come in the path of the elephants.
The Court said this while looking at the report submitted by its Amicus Curias A D N Rao on demolishing the existing buildings in the Nilgiris Elephant Corridor that has been marked by the Tamil Nadu Government. The elephant corridor marked lies in Masinagudi area near Mudumalai National Park in Nilgiris.
The court also said that a committee led by a retired High Court judge would be soon appointed for hearing individual grievances. The petitioners include Bengali Actor Mithun Chackraborthy and they argue that the buildings were sealed even though they had all permissions.
The Supreme Court had last year ordered the sealing of resorts in Nilgiris after the district collector submitted a report on alleged illegal constructions in the elephant corridor. Accordingly, the State government had issued an order sealing all the buildings in the elephant path.
