Madras High Court orders release of ₹185 crore for eradicating seemai karuvelam

The Madras High Court has ordered the release of ₹185 crore from District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) funds, held by 37 out of 38 districts except The Nilgiris, to start a court-mandated operation called 'Sezhumai Karuvoolam'. This initiative seeks to eradicate the invasive species seemai karuvelam (prosopis juliflora) and replace it with native species across the state.

The court directed the district collectors to release the funds at a rate of ₹5 crore per district, warning that contempt of court proceedings may be initiated if the order is not followed. Additionally, the court emphasized that seemai karuvelam must be completely removed from all water bodies in the state. The order was issued after former judge A. Selvam, who is now a commissioner, reported to the Division Bench that each district requires a minimum of ₹5 crore to undertake the eradication and replacement process.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar convened a meeting on August 12, ordering that Personal Assistants (General) to the Collectors should liaise with the judicial commissioners daily. However, none of these personal assistants had contacted the judge commissioners thus far. The court also directed the High Court Registry to inform all district collectors about the order and instructed them to share it with Block Development Officers and Tahsildars.