Dindigul administration faces HC's contempt move

Madurai: The Madras high court has observed that it has no other option left, but to initiate contempt proceedings against the Dindigul district administration officials as they failed to comply with an earlier order of the court to remove seemai karuvelam (prosopis juliflora) trees from the waterbodies.

The petitioner K Mariappan, a resident of Dindigul district, moved the high court Madurai bench in 2018, seeking the authorities not to permit anyone from taking the desilted soil from Sadayankulam pond at Thangachiampatti village in Dindigul district.

A division bench of justice M Sathyanarayanan and justice B Pugalendhi said that though a full bench had passed an order directing the officials to remove juliflora trees and to facilitate the flow of waterbodies in a batch of petitions during 2017, the district administration did not take any steps to remove them.

The judges observed that it prima facie amounts to wilful disobedience and non-compliance of the order. The case was adjourned to August 27 for further hearing.