The railways has embarked on a mission to promote greenery by planting trees along tracks and vacant land on its premises. Zonal General Managers have been told to rope in the expertise of State Forest Departments to implement the drive on tree plantation.
Railway Board Member (Mechanical) Hemant Kumar said in a note that plantation of trees was being reviewed by the Prime Minister’s Committee on Climate Change and also figured in India’s ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contribution’ under the ‘Green India Mission’ programme.
Keeping in line with these initiatives, the railways had decided to carry out a massive drive on tree plantation along the boundary of the tracks and also on vacant land across the country. In consultation with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, a draft agreement was prepared for the zonal railways to sign with State Forest Departments. The plan was to commence the plantation ahead of the monsoon.
Railway officials say the Southern Railway has running track stretch to the extent of 6,843 km spread across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Besides, hundreds of acres of railway land were either lying vacant or encroached upon.
‘Adequate space’
“There is adequate space for planting trees along tracks in Tamil Nadu since British engineers envisaged expansion and earmarked sufficient land for railways. The Broad Guage doubling between Madurai and Kanyakumari is being implemented without any land acquisition. But survival of trees might be a challenge due to arid weather conditions in the State,” a senior railways official said.
Asked whether planting of trees would pose a threat to safety of train operations, he said a shady cover was in a way good for the long welded track that had a tendency to expand in hot weather.
“The shade will minimise the thermal stresses and keep the track intact. But we have to make sure that the high tension electrical wires are not disturbed by choosing vertically growing trees,” he said.
