HC directive on removing Prosopis juliflora hailed: MDMK leader Vaiko to start a people’s movement

MDMK leader Vaiko announces a movement to remove Prosopis juliflora trees in Tamil Nadu following a landmark High Court directive.

Hailing the directive of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on the removal of Prosopis juliflora (karuvelam trees) as a landmark order, MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Wednesday said he would start a movement across Tamil Nadu after the Assembly election and ensure that the trees were removed.

Addressing the media in Madurai, the MDMK leader said that the court, on realising the gravity of the situation with regard to the presence of karuvelam trees, and how they affect the water table and cause other problems, had given a comprehensive order.

Mr. Vaiko, who has been in public life for over five decades, said karuvelam trees were like a demon, and would spoil the ecosystem. In the larger interest of the next generation, he said he was keen on removing them.

In Kerala, Mr. Vaiko said, karuvelam trees cannot be seen anywhere. If the people saw such trees, they would remove them right from the root, thus arresting their spread. Likewise, the people of Tamil Nadu should be involved in removing these trees, he said, and appealed to the Tamil Nadu government and senior officials from various departments to join him in the cause.

The High Court, he said, had directed the Tamil Nadu government to constitute committees right from the taluk level to the district level. On identifying the growth of karuvelam trees in their respective jurisdictions, the monitoring teams shall ensure that the trees are removed.

The court had also directed that compliance reports be filed by the officials to help keep track of the progress of the drive.