Ministry of Railways finalised a model agreement in consultation with Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to be entered between Zonal Railways and respective State Forest Department in January 2016 for plantation of trees on Railway land along the railway track and station yards without transferring the ownership of the land in favour of State Forest Department. As per the provisions of the model Agreement, cost of the plantation including its protection and maintenance can be borne by State Forest Department or Railway Administration or can be shared by both. The plantation work on Railway land along the railway track has already been started under this agreement in the States of Punjab (approx. 91000 saplings) and Haryana (approx. 15000 saplings) in the jurisdiction of Northern Railway in the last monsoon season.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 08.02.2017 (Wednesday).

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