MoU signed between Ministry of Railways and Forest Department of Haryana & Punjab for plantation of trees alongside Railway Track on Railway Land Boundary

In order to save the environment, Haryana & Punjab Forest Department inked MoU with Ministry of Railways to plant the trees alongside Railway Track on Railway Land Boundary.

• Signed between Pankaj Saxena, Chief Engineer /P&D, Northern Railway on behalf of Minister of Railways and Dr. (Mrs.) Amrinder Kaur, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) on behalf of Minister of State (IC) for Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Venue: Rail Bhawan, New Delhi

Delegates:

• Minister of Railways – Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu
• Minister of State (IC) – Prakash Javadekar,Environment, Forest and Climate Change
• Chairman, Railway Board – K. Mital
• Special Secretary & DG (Forest) – S. Negi
• Member Engineering – K. Gupta

Speech by Minister of Railways:

• Care and Conservation of the trees is responsibility of every citizen
• Railways initiated the step of providing railway land for the use of plantation
• Railways take integrated steps to maintain in the field of forest, water, energy and solar system
• Directorate of Environment has been instituted in the Railways Board to address all the environmental issues

Features of Plantation programme:

• Will stop soil erosion which is the main cause of rail accidents
• Plantation programme will be further developed and all railway colonies will also be done with plantation
• Trees are to be planted as per ecosystem of that area

Initiatives by Railways:

• Start to harvest rain water in big and small buildings
• Lots of volunteers also in this programme for a grand success
• Railways will work as a Territorial Army to implement this programme and RPF personnel will also be used for plantation programme

Speech by Prakash Javadekar

• The programme is linked with Swachh Bharat, Swachh Harit Bhart
• Issue directives to all States to establish Nurseries

SILENT FEATURE OF THE AGREEMENT

• Railway can contribute significantly towards the Green India Mission
• Forest department is involved in the plantation as well as maintenance and disposal of trees which leads to afforestation
• Plantation on railway land boundary by Forest department protect forest with the provision for resumption of such land at any time
• Protecting railway land from encroachment