Delhi develops green patches around railway stations
The Delhi Division of Indian Railways is developing green patches around railway stations in the capital. An initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the vacant area near railway tracks is also being covered with shrubs and flowers. Delhi Divisional Railway Manager Arun Arora said that the initiative has been inspired by the South Beijing railway station in China. 
The heaps of garbage, unpleasant sight of open defecation and the 'lewd' graffiti on the walls as trains move slowly onto the Delhi region will be a thing of past now. Taking a cue from the 'green' South Beijing railway station, the Delhi Division of Indian Railway has begun developing green patches surrounding railway stations in Delhi.The vacant rail land and the railway yards too will be covered with ornamental plants and shrubs to give it a pleasant look.Also read: #BudgetAajTak: Indian Railways working on Mission Zero Accident, says Manoj SinhaAccording to railway officials, encroachment on railway land is the biggest hurdle in keeping the railway lines clean. A senior official said development of green patches in Delhi began sometime ago but it failed due to large scale encroachment. The plan is a major initiative under the flagship 'Swachh Bharat Mission'. The contract has been placed and work has started at New Delhi station, which is expected to show results by end of April 2017, an official said.THE TWO PHASE PLANTo begin with, railway yards at New Delhi, Old Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations will be taken up. The plan is being developed in two phases. Many special drives were launched in last one year to clean up the garbage spread along the tracks approaching Delhi, but they failed to yield desired result."We managed to maintain cleanliness in some parts while those located close to big Jhhugi clusters remained filthy. Garbage was found to be accumulated again after a few days of the drive in areas near slums," Arora said.