Mysore/Mysuru: The Forest Department has stalled illegal works of laying interlock tiles and kerb (border) stones atop Chamundi Hill and an FIR has been filed against the violators. A private religious organisation from Coimbatore had resorted to laying interlock tiles and borders on a road near the Nandi Statue.

The road leads to a rock called “Sadhguru Point” where the spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev reportedly got ‘enlightened’. The works were underway for the last three to four days and no permission was sought from the Forest Department as the Chamundi Hill comes under its jurisdiction. Last evening, a few environmentalists alerted the Department about the concretisation of the path and this morning, a team led by RFO Dhanyashree and DRFO Satish Kumar asked the contractor to stop the works immediately.

Officers told Star of Mysore that they had seen the movement of interlock tiles towards the Hill two days back and had presumed that the tiles were meant for the repair works of the Nandi Statue Road that had collapsed due to landslides after rains. M-Sand was poured on the path, the tiles were placed and the borders were fixed with bigger concrete stones.

“Our higher officers are busy preparing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bandipur and as such, we have come here to stop the works. The works are illegal and the permission from the Centre is mandatory as the road comes under the core area of the Reserve Forest,” an officer said.

The Forest staff have now removed the interlock tiles and bordering stones and have restored the path to its original condition. An FIR has been filed against the work contractor and a few others who were involved in the works. A case has been booked under various provisions of the Forest Act, officers said.