South East Central Railway to use tracks for jatropha planting

The South East Central Railway (SECR) has taken up jatropha plantation drive in Chhattisgarh to produce bio-fuel for use in the diesel engines after three years.

The railway has earlier successfully experimented the use of bio-fuel in Raipur division to counter rising diesel fuel prices.

According to sources, the Raipur division of the SECR has planted 20,000 saplings of bio-fuel yielding Jatropha saplings in two rail sections of Raipur and Durg districts.

The railway purchased the saplings in two phases from the department of forests.

While the railway has rooted about 10,000 saplings on the sides of Raipur-Dhamtari narrow-gauge rail line, rest were planted on Dallirajhara-Durg rail sections.

The saplings were also planted in vacant land of railway near Charoda, sources said.

The plantation of Jatropha is a part of railway's plan to use bio-fuel in the diesel engines after three years.

The saplings planted would bear the oil-yielding seeds after three years.

The railway has reached an understanding with the Chhattisgarh Bio-fuel Development Authority (CBDA) to purchase bio-fuel.

Earlier, SECR bought 800 litres of jatropha-based bio-fuel from the agency in July last year and used a mix of diesel and jatropha in the diesel engine on narrow lines between Raipur and Dhamtari.

Jatropha-diesel mix used was 5:95 per cent.

The Railways has successfully ran locomotives using the jatropha blended diesel.

According to senior officials of the division, the railways plan to totally replace diesel and use fuel from the homegrown Jatropha for narrow gauge railway engines.

Advanced tests would be done and if successful, the bio-diesel would be used in broad gauge diesel locomotives too.