Title - Railways step in to increase green cover

Railways have joined hands with the Forest Department to increase the green cover in the State by planting various species of shrubs and trees on the approach roads to railway premises.The drive to increase the green cover will be initially taken up in 100 railway stations starting from Parassala on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border to Shoranur Junction in North Kerala.The ambitious programme will be executed by Railways and the Forest Department with the help of National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers, official sources told The Hindu .A brainchild of Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Agrawal, the afforestation programme has the backing of Minister for Forests K.B. Ganesh Kumar.Besides increasing the green cover, the attempt is to beautify the railway stations and promote tourism.To implement the tree planting drive, Railways have divided the stretch from Parassala to Shoranur into 10 zones. The aim is to plant 1,000 to 2,000 different kinds of shrubs and trees in each location. Trees and shrubs will be planted on the approach roads, sides of platforms, yards, midsections, and wherever possible on the platforms. During the drive, one lakh saplings will be planted. Railways have mobilised a workforce of 1,000 people for the drive, the sources said.Railways hope to make good the loss of green cover on railway premises following the cutting of trees for the construction of the railway line via Alappuzha, conversion from metre gauge to broad gauge and single line to double line, and electrification of the railway network in the State. “There has been no visible indication of re-plantation in these railway stations though several years have passed after the development of the railway network was taken up,” the sources said. The Forest Department has identified the nurseries from where the trees and shrubs can be sourced. As many as 15 to 20 species of trees and shrubs had been identified.

Railways are looking forward to sponsorships in the way of tree guards and watering the plants for a specific period as the trees and shrubs will have to be nurtured for three months.