Commence annihilation of invasive alien plant species immediately, HC tells govt.
CHENNAI FEBRUARY 28, 2022 20:27 IST
UPDATED: FEBRUARY 28, 2022 20:27 IST
In 2015, the court had ordered the annihilation of exotic species and the restoration of shola forests in the hilly regions of the State.
It wants pilot project to begin immediately as it has already been 7 years since it passed orders in 2015
The Madras High Court on Monday asked the State government to immediately commence a pilot project for the eradication of invasive alien plant species such as eucalyptus, wattle and prosopis juliflora, and carry out proper ecological restoration of natural habitats.
A Division Bench of Justices V. Bharathidasan and N. Sathish Kumar commended Environment and Forests Secretary Supriya Sahu for having come up with a draft Tamil Nadu Policy on Invasive Plants and Ecological Restoration (TNPIPER) and making it available in the public domain.
However, not wanting things to remain on paper any longer as it has already been seven years since the court, in 2015, ordered the annihilation of exotic species and the restoration of shola forests in the hilly regions of the State, the judges asked the Secretary to start the work immediately.
They asked her to come back to the court on March 18 and report that the work had begun. She agreed, and assured the court that the work will begin as early as possible. Earlier, she informed the judges that the draft policy was put in the public domain to invite comments.
The opinions of various stakeholders were obtained and, in the second stage, seven teams of forest officials were constituted to visit Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat and Rajasthan to study the practices followed in those States. The teams had already gone there.
The teams were expected to submit their reports to the State government by March 9. Further, Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu had approved a proposal worth ₹10 crore, and the funds would be released after clearance was obtained from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Secretary said.
However, ₹6 crore from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) was already available for the eradication of invasive species and restoration of natural habitat, she said. After taking note of her submissions, the judges said the money could be used for the pilot project.
Ms. Sahu also assured the court that the Tamil Nadu Wildlife Crime Control Bureau will start functioning soon, after obtaining the guidance of an expert committee. She said it was a first-of-its-kind initiative taken by the government because of its commitment to the cause.
The judges further asked the Secretary to consider authorising the police as well as customs officials to prosecute offenders under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, since the law, as it stands today, permits trial courts to take cognisance of prosecution launched by forest officials alone.
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