In a first of its kind order by the Kolkata-based Eastern Bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Eastern Railway (ER) has been asked not to fell trees for passenger amenities in platforms. While many full-grown trees have already been felled in several railway stations on the Howrah Division, the Tribunal has asked the Railways to stop similar activities in rest of the stations. The Environmental activists have called it a “path breaking” order.

It is rare that a judgment by a Tribunal is delivered on the day the petition was filed. But the NGT-Eastern Bench received, listened and passed an order – all in a day’s time – on Wednesday instructing ER to stop felling of trees to extend platforms. The petition was filed by city-based Environmentalists, Sankar Prasad Hajra and Santanu Chacraverti. They argued that in order to set up corrugated shelter for the passengers, many full grown trees were felled in Bally Railway Station, Howrah Division.

The petitioners filed many photographs thus establishing that all the trees adjacent to the platform have been chopped off to extend the platform. They further argued that in various stations across the country -- in Palakkad district, Kerala; Anekal Station near Bangalore; Kulem Station, Goa; and Palasa Station, Andhra Pradesh -- “trees and shelter co-exist.”

The Railway officials will have to furnish list of locations where they intend to extend the platform and the “number of trees proposed to be cut for such construction.” The Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) will oversee the entire mechanism keeping in mind if “10 times plantation for each tree to be cut” can be planted and the location of such re-plantation areas. The PCCF has also been asked to find out, whether it is possible to raise structure without cutting well grown trees but after “marginal pruning.”