A Nutty Problem for Lakshadweep Coconut Growers

Lakshadweep authorities have mandated that anyone seeking to harvest coconuts from trees adjacent to public roads must now notify both the police and the public works department at least 24 hours beforehand, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which addresses unlawful obstruction and public nuisance.

- HD Bureau

The directive, issued by the Deputy Collector of Andrott Island, stipulates that a notice has to be issued to the designated authority 24 hours in advance for plucking the coconuts and that failure to provide such advance notice may attract legal consequences, and specifies that the enforcement order cannot be challenged in any civil court.

The directive aims to regulate what the administration sees as growing safety and nuisance concerns. Plucking coconuts without due process has long been discouraged—travel advisories have warned that coconut palms are privately owned and that unauthorized harvesting may amount to theft, in addition to posing risks of falls.