CHENNAI: Expressing concern and anguish over the harmful impact of the Prosopis juliflora on the environment and ecology, a special division bench of the Madras High Court, dealing with forest-related cases, asked the Tamil Nadu government to launch a “combing operation” to combat the invasive species across the state.
The bench, comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy, on Friday, felt that mere uprooting and chopping off the trees is not enough to tackle the problem because the species will resurface if comprehensive action is not taken.
“The removal of the Prosopis juliflora from the plain and waterbodies shall be done in a concerted manner. Every month, at least a few firkas shall be made free of this invasive species,” the bench told the state government.
Suggesting utilisation of specialised machinery to clasp the trees and uproot them without harming the species grown around the Prosopis juliflora, the bench said that the “combing operation” should be done to ensure these species do not resurface in the area where it is removed.
It stressed the need for coordinated action by the government departments concerned, including the forests and the rural development departments, for addressing the issue.
The bench also said the government shall fix a target of making one district as Prosopis juliflora-free as a pilot programme and subsequently extend the exercise to other districts.
Senior counsel P Wilson, representing the revenue and rural development departments, submitted that the government is committed to finding a lasting solution to this vexatious issue. He informed the court that a high level meeting of the government officials was held on August 25, and the issue was discussed at length.
“The government is taking the issue seriously and will come up with a workable action plan,” he told the court.
The bench granted three weeks to the government to prepare and submit the effective action plan.
Special government pleader T Seenivasan informed the court that Prosopis juliflora trees have been removed from 517 village panchayats across the state so far.