MADURAI: Samathuva Makkal Kazhagam (SMK) have sought the intervention of district administration to take stern action against those destroying palm trees in Thoothukudi district and stressed the need to protect such trees.
PM Arputharaj, district secretary of SMK, along with his supporters came to the Thoothukudi Collectorate on Monday. He said while Ernavoor A Narayanan, founder president of SMK and chairman of Tamil Nadu Palm Tree Workers Welfare Board has been championing the rights of the palm workers and taking various measures to enhance their livelihoods, certain anti-social elements have been felling palm trees in parts of the district.
Their act of supplying felled trees to brick kilns and chemical factories go unchecked, he said. In the southern side of Thoothukudi district, several palm trees were felled and set ablaze with an intent to make them look as if those were withered.
On July 11, seven palm trees were illegally felled on the grove owned by R Ramanathan at Savarimangalam village. Despite lodging a complaint with the Puthiamputhur police and the criminals identified, no action has been taken so far, Arputhuraj said.
Over 50 trees on a palm grove of S Saroja at Sawyerpuram were set on fire deliberately by anti-social elements. But, even after taking the issue to the attention of Sawyerpuram police, nothing has been done to arrest the culprits, he added.