Suggestions for draft policy against invasive 'Seemai Karuvelam' invited

Chennai, Apr 4 (PTI): The draft policy to root out Seemai Karuvelam trees (prosopis juliflora) has been uploaded onto the Tamil Nadu Forest Department website to invite suggestions and opinion of the public as well as of the institutions and NGOs for preparing the final draft policy, the Madras High Court was informed on Monday.

When the PIL petitions from MDMK leader Vaiko and others seeking to get rid of the trees from Tamil Nadu came up for further hearing today, the Chief Conservator of Forests filed a report stating that the draft policy introduced recently would address the invasive alien issue by identifying 196 alien plant species, also invasive, and categorically prioritised 23 species as most invasive. Since the issue is beyond the boundaries of the forest, the government proposed to constitute a nodal agency to coordinate with various government departments and organisations at the State-level and a district body to coordinate implementation. A proposal for carrying out a pilot project on the removal of the invasive species in the areas under high, medium and light density classes with a fund request of Rs 5.35 crore was sent to the government in January this year to start as a pilot project in a total of 700 hectares. The file demanding the fund allotment is in circulation.

The government on March 3 directed the commencement of the pilot project in compliance with the High Court order. Physical targets were fixed under the density of heavy, medium and light, and suitable instructions issued, the report said and prayed for two more months to come out with the policy decision.

Accepting it, the Bench of Chief Justice M N Bhandari, N Satish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy adjourned the matter.

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