No takers for CR plan to grow ornamental plants alongside tracks

The CR had offered almost 150 acres of land parcels at 113 different locations around various railway stations on its Main, Harbour and Trans-harbour lines. The move will not only beautify the area, but also save the land parcel from encroachments

Mumbai: In six months, the Central Railway (CR) had twice issued expression of interest (EOI) to grow flowering shrubs and ornamental plants next to at least 15 railway stations and alongside track. The railway authorities are even ready to forfeit money earned from selling these flowers and plants. But so far, they have not received a good response.

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The CR had offered almost 150 acres of land parcels at 113 different locations around various railway stations on its Main, Harbour and Trans-harbour lines. The move will not only beautify the area, but also save the land parcel from encroachments. The first EOI was issued in October and more recently in March.

Yet, there has been no positive response from organisations and NGOs specialising in developing green spaces.

“We have been trying to approach NGOs and organisations by floating expression of interest to come forth and plant flowering plants. However, for some reason we are not getting a good response. We are okay even if we do not get remuneration from it, we want to beautify the space,” a CR official said.

The selected plants will be of low height so that there is no infringement with train movement at any point in time.

Some of the stations include Dadar, Kurla, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Ghatkopar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Kanjurmarg, Thane, Matunga, Parel, Bhandup, Byculla, Chinchpokli, Currey Road, Thane, Mumbra, King’s Circle, Vashi, Koparkhairane and Belapur. The stations identified under the Amrit Bharat Stations scheme will also have vertical gardens.

The CR has already set up a butterfly garden on a 2,000 square feet space, which was used as a dumping ground, in Wadi bunder near New Coaching Complex. This was inaugurated last year and boasts of a collection of more than 400 species of plants. Kurla LTT also has a Miyawaki forest. Earlier, the railways used to allow growing leafy vegetables on its land.