Five lakh trees to be planted along Punjab, Haryana rail lines

Eager to contribute substantially towards the Green India Mission, Railways has joined hands with the forest departments of Punjab and Haryana to plant five lakh trees on rail land along tracks.
Since the forest department are involved in the plantation exercise as well as maintenance and disposal of trees, it will be bringing in the much-needed expertise in afforestation of rail land, a senior Railway Ministry official said today.
Beside the greenery, the plantation along the tracks will also help in protecting railway land from encroachment.
The official, however, said the plantation drive will be carried out by the forest departments without declaring such land as protected forest areas with the provision for resumption of such land for developmental projects.

All zonal railways have been asked to execute similar agreements with their state forest departments concerned at the earliest.