N. Railway for extensive `jatropha' plantation – New Delhi, 5^th September, 2005

Buoyed by the successful running of locomotives with "jatropha" oil (bio-diesel) mixed diesel, Northern Railway has now decided to go ahead with extensive afforestation of its land in the zone so that more bio-diesel could be produced. The project has been so well received by the senior railway officials that the Indian Railways is now planning to extend the experiment to the rest of the 15 zonal railways.

As part of its energy saving measures and adopt environment friendly technologies, Northern Railway, the largest zonal railway that already has 21.25 per cent of its land (8,400 hectares) forested, has started the drive to identify vacant land that is conducive to "jatropha" plantation and has also developed nurseries especially for this purpose.

A major step

"The decision to invest in research for the use of bio-diesel by the railways has been a major step in the direction of simultaneously increasing the green coverage of the land and to encourage the use of a more environment friendly fuel," said a Northern Railway spokesperson, adding that the multiple impact of this strategy on the environment would be the extensive plantation of "jatropha" plant (jatropha curcas, ratanjyot or wild castor), to reduce dependence on petroleum based fuels which are non-renewable, expensive and harmful for environment.

Informing that last year Northern Railway planted four-lakh saplings of "jatropha" across the zone, he said this drive has been a substantial step in increasing the green coverage of the land.

"By investing in the plantation of `jatropha' plants at a large scale, we are not only investing in the technology of the future, but it is also helping in increasing the green coverage of the land, which is also a critical need of the hour."

According to the spokesperson, "jatropha" plant has been identified as the most suitable plant for producing bio-diesel in Indian conditions. It can be grown in semi-arid to arid conditions, tolerates scanty to heavy rainfall and has low moisture demands. It can withstand long periods of drought and can also be grown on stony and shallow soil. The "jatropha" tree begins to yield oil seeds by the third year of its plantation and continue to bear fruit for 25-30 years. "By planting ‘Jatropha' trees extensively, we have brought several hectares of wasteland, including land adjoining the railway track, under highly productive cultivation."

"Bio-diesel can be extracted from the oil-seeds by expelling as well as by solvent extraction; the residue material left is protein rich organic manure. Bio-diesel is a high-octane non-edible vegetable oil which is completely combustible, completes the carbon dioxide cycle and has inbuilt oxygen content, "he said.