Plantation of Trees along Highways/Railways tracks
“Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) does not implement any scheme for plantations along the highway sides and on vacant land along railway tracks. The National Forest Policy (NFP), 1988 encourages plantation of trees alongside roads, railway lines, rivers, streams, canals etc. under social forestry. The Ministry in consonance with the NFP, 1988, has issued an advisory to State Forest Departments for partnering with Railways and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) subject to the feasibility for taking up plantation of trees along the highway sides and vacant areas by the side of railway tracks. MoEF&CC also circulated Model Guidelines to all States/UTs for plantation on Railway land and plantation on sides of National Highways.
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has promulgated Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) Policy-2015, under which plantations have been initiated in collaboration with Forest Departments and other agencies. No separate funds are earmarked for plantations along National Highways. Plantations are part of all National Highway projects and are undertaken as per the relevant contract provisions within the Right of Way of a national highway.
As per the information provided by Ministry of Railways, tree plantation is being done on Railway land on regular basis. At present an area of 41,417 hectares of Railway land is under afforestation.
Besides this, Ministry of Railways has also finalized 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 some of the States. During the year 2017-18 (up to January 2018) Rs.85.25 lakh saplings