Union Railway Budget 2012-13: Green Initiatives

Union Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi presented the Union Railway Budget 2012-13 in the Lok Sabha on 14 March 2012. The total union budget outlay for 2012-13 stood at Rs 60100 crore.

The year 2011-12 was declared as the Year of Green Energy by Mamata Banerjee in the Union Railway Budget 2011-12. A slew of green measures were proposed to be adopted in the Union Railway Budget 2012-13. The measures adopted to promote clean environment are as follows:

• The Union Railway Budget 2012-13 proposed setting up of 72 MW capacity windmill plants in the wind rich areas of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
• Setting up of 200 remote railway stations as Green Energy Stations powered by solar energy was also proposed
• The railway budgetary provision also included providing solar lighting system at 1000 manned level crossing gates in non-electrified territory to improve illumination and enhance safety of road users.
• Introduction of mobile emission test car to measure pollution level of diesel locomotives;
• Commissioning of two bio-diesel plants in 2012-13 at Raipur and Tondiarpet
• Acceptance of SMS on mobile phones as proof of valid reservation, thus saving paper
• Union Railway budget 2012-13 also proposed Introduction of a Green Train with low emissions diesel locomotive and coaching stock with bio-toilets) to run through the pristine forests of north Bengal.

It was observed that Indian railways were plagued by the problem of environmental degradation and corrosion of tracks due to night soil. In tune with the recommendation of the Kakodkar and Pitroda Committees, the budget mentioned an urgent need to replace the conventional open-discharge toilets with Green Toilets with a view to having cleaner, hygienic and safer railway ecosystem. The DRDO developed bio-toilets which are currently under extended is likely to be fit into 2,500 by 2013.

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