A Division Bench of the Madras High Court, comprising Justices N. Sathish Kumar and K. Rajasekar, directed district Collectors to release ₹185 crore from District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) funds to carry out the court-initiated operation 'Sezhumai Karuvoolam'. The DMFT funds are maintained by 37 of Tamil Nadu's 38 districts; The Nilgiris is the exception. Each district is to receive ₹5 crore. The court instructed that seemai karuvelam (prosopis juliflora), an exotic and invasive species, must be eradicated first from all water bodies in the state and replaced with native species. It also warned that it would have no option but to initiate contempt of court proceedings if the direction was not complied with.