Prayagraj: North Central Railway (NCR) crossed the one-crore mark in its plantation drive this financial year, with NCR general manager Naresh Pal Singh planting the one-croreth sapling at Rail Gaon, Subedarganj, on Wednesday.The drive, launched on World Environment Day on June 5, was undertaken with an ambitious target of planting two crore saplings across the zone during the current financial year. Singh had appealed to officials and employees of all three divisions to actively participate in the campaign.The milestone of 1,11,11,111 saplings was marked at a plantation programme at Rail Gaon, where the GM planted saplings of litchi, tulsi and mango. Senior officers from the NCR headquarters also participated in the event.According to NCR chief public relations officer Shivam Sharma, the campaign has covered railway stations, colonies and other available spaces across the NCR network, including more than 300 stations and railway colonies in cities such as Aligarh, Agra, Mathura, Kanpur, Jhansi, Banda, Mirzapur and Gwalior.More than 13 lakh saplings were planted in the latest phase of the drive, helping the zone surpass the one-crore mark.Sharma said the campaign was not confined to conventional green spaces. Several stretches of railway land identified as wasteland were brought under the drive, while areas along railway tracks clogged with scrap were cleared to make way for plantation. In several locations, encroachments were removed before plantation activities were undertaken.NCR also coordinated with NGOs and the forest department to expand the campaign.The plantation drive is part of the zone’s broader effort to increase green cover along its railway infrastructure. Officials said plantation activities would continue at identified locations as NCR works towards its target of planting two crore saplings during the current financial year.
