Houses in Venketachalam Nagar in northern Thirumullavoyal off the Chennai–Tiruvallur High (CTH) Road has one thing in common. Windows of these houses overlooking open plots that are dotted with Seemai Karuvelam trees are kept shut permanently as insects, flies and worms from these trees invade the houses.
Soon, these open plots will be turned into playgrounds and community gardens, including those with herbal gardens.
These community gardens and playgrounds will be maintained by the residents of respective streets.
“With many residents complaining about invasion of insects, we decided to uproot these trees completely with the consent of the owners of these open plots, who don’t reside in the neighbourhood,” says Giri Ravanan, secretary, Venketachalam Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association in Thirumullavoyal.
As the first step towards replacing Seemai Karuvelam trees with fruit-bearing trees and herbal plants, a group of 30 residents removed some of these trees using various garden implements.
The neighbourhood has more than 20 streets. And there are 160 open plots around the neighbourhood with each having two to three trees.
In the first phase of this programme, residents uprooted trees from around 100 open plots. Those on Fifth Street, Seventh Street and Third Main Road were part of the exercise.
The rest of the trees will be uprooted in the second phase, which will be carried out next week.
“We are also in talks with the State Forest Department, Horticulture Department and nurseries to get saplings from them for our community gardens. Some residents want the open plots in their streets to be converted into playgrounds, which would be maintained by them. If the owners consent, we are fine with the idea,” said Giri Ravanan.
Officials of the Avadi Municipality are also supportive of the idea of residents themselves removing Seemai Karuvelam trees from their neighbourhood.
Municipal officials said that the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court had repeatedly said in its order directing the State government and district collectors to uproot these trees.
Accordingly, measures, including using the services of workers employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), for uprooting these trees are also being undertaken by the Tiruvallur district administration.
Seemai Karuvel
* The scientific name of Seemai Karuvel is Prosophis juliflora.
* A native species of South and Central America and the Caribbean, the tree grows fast and can tolerate arid conditions and saline soil.
* It was introduced in the country during the times of British in the 1870s, to meet the need for fuelwood. In Tamil Nadu, especially in the southern districts, the tree has been popular since the 1960s as fire wood.
* However, it is said that the tree species emits carbon dioxide, thereby increasing the heat in the atmosphere. It also consumes more water, thus depleting the groundwater table.
(Source: Tamil Nadu Forest Department)
