Railway to turn reclaimed land into a green belt

A portion of land reclaimed after scientific disposal of non-hazardous zero value waste that had piled up over the years within the vast Golden Rock Railway Workshop premises here is being turned into a green belt. Saplings of various species have been planted on the reclaimed land in an effort to improve green cover within the workshop.

Thanks to a tie-up entered into with the cement major - UltraTech Cement Private Limited in neighbouring Ariyalur late last year, the workshop has safely disposed of about 1,500 tonnes of zero value waste accumulated for more than a decade to the cement unit.

The waste in the form of cushion, rexin seats, belts and other materials that was dispatched by the workshop at periodic intervals was used by the cement major as an alternative fuel in its cement kilns.

The zero value waste which had been piled up along the periphery of the over 200 acre- workshop premises remained a huge cause of environmental concern for the authorities until the agreement with the cement company came through last year. The accumulated waste generated within the workshop had been dumped along the periphery near the West Gate, East and the North Gate within the workshop premises.

Post disposal of waste, landscaping has been done on the reclaimed land measuring about 25,000 to 30,000 square feet and efforts were underway to make it as a green belt by planting saplings of various species, a senior workshop official said.

Over 2,500 tonnes accumulated zero-value waste was yet to be removed and these would be disposed of to the cement company in the coming months. The reclaimed land from this portion would also be converted into a green corridor, the official said.

Water audit

A water audit was carried out by a private agency chosen by the railway administration to suggest measures on ways and means of conserving water.

The workshop utilises around three to four lakh litres of water for its daily activities. Recycled water was being utilised for component cleaning and gardening at various spots to conserve fresh water, the official said.

Source