Madras High Court orders permits for NGOs to clear invasive trees, names Revenue Secretary nodal officer

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday (July 24) directed the State government to allocate adequate funds for the removal of invasive Prosopis juliflora trees, appointed the Revenue Secretary as the nodal officer to oversee the drive, and ordered officials to process permissions for voluntary organisations within 24 hours.

A Special Bench comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of coordination between government officials and the court-appointed committee monitoring the eradication drive.

The bench directed Revenue Department officials to grant permissions within 24 hours to voluntary organisations seeking to remove the invasive species from government lands.

Encouraging broader public participation, the court urged volunteers to emulate MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who has been actively participating in removal drives of invasive trees.

The directions were issued on a petition filed by Vaiko seeking the statewide removal of Prosopis juliflora.

Appearing in person, Vaiko submitted that he, alongside farmers and environmental activists, had taken part in clearing drives across several locations, including Andipatti in Theni district. He informed the bench that exposure to carbon dioxide emitted during the burning and removal process had affected his lungs and throat.

He further contended that despite a change in government, no effective steps were taken to implement the High Court's earlier orders. He requested the court to direct the Chief Secretary to instruct all District Collectors to implement the directions and ensure permissions are cleared within 24 hours.

The State government submitted that nearly 90 per cent of the Prosopis juliflora trees on government lands in Pudukkottai district had already been cleared, though progress remained slow in the northern districts.