CHENNAI: A special division bench of Madras High Court dealing with forest-related matters has warned the state government of contempt proceedings if the invasive plant species, ruining the environment, in the Nilgiris are not removed in a time-bound manner.
Expressing displeasure over the slow progress made on the exercise, the bench comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy on Thursday questioned the delay in removing the invasive plant species. If the exercise is not carried out within a time frame, the court will not hesitate to initiate contempt proceedings, the bench said.
The bench was informed that 191 locations have been identified for the removal of invasive species, and it was carried out at 16 places, earning a revenue of Rs 4.02 crore. The bench was also told the tender was issued for removing the invasive species from 53 locations.
Directing the State to expedite the process, the bench granted two weeks time for identification of the species in other places and four weeks for issuing a tender. It further directed the State to file a report on compliance by December 22, 2022.