General Manager of South Western Railway (SWR) Arvind Srivastava has said that while 20,500 saplings were planted across the zone on Environment Day, the plan is to plant 50,000 more saplings during the financial year 2024-25.
Speaking at the World Environment Day programme in Hubballi on Wednesday, he said that several initiatives have been taken by the zone, including implementation of extensive waste management, energy conservation, afforestation and awareness campaigns on banning single-use plastics and anti-littering campaigns.
In the railway zone, all buildings have been upgraded with LED fittings, BLDC fans and energy-efficient pumps. Solar energy projects generated 5.69 million units of electricity, saving ₹2.81 crore, with solar capacity reaching 6,334 kWp, he said.
“Key initiatives include the restored Devaragudihal Lake, which provides 3.6 crore liters of water monthly, 12 approved water projects, a 50 KLD sewage treatment plant in Belagavi and rainwater harvesting at Byappanahalli Railway Station. Additionally, the zone operates eight Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs), nine Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and two water recycling plants, with further expansions planned. Under afforestation, 5,000 trees were planted in 2023-24,” he said.
Earlier, a pledge on Environment Day was taken by all officers and employees at the Hubballi Railway Station, where a street play was staged by volunteers of Scouts and Guides.
Mr. Srivastava distributed cloth bags to passengers as part of the effort to beat plastic pollution and adopting green initiatives.
Mr. Srivastava also released Sustainability Handbook 2024, published by the Environment and Housekeeping Management Department of the railway zone.
The handbook highlights the various green initiatives taken up by the zone to promote green environment and clean energy. Later, several saplings were planted on the Rail Soudha premises in Hubballi.
Senior railway officials, including Additional General Manager K.S. Jain, M. Pradhan, Praveen Kumar Tiwari, Harsh Khare and Umesh Kumar, and others were present.
Published - June 06, 2024 09:15 pm IST
