Railways to reduce dependence on diesel

Union Minister Suresh P. Prabhu on Monday said that the Indian Railways will reduce its dependence on conventional fuels such as diesel by further track electrification.

"Reducing dependence on conventional fuels is priority for environment conservation and we are targeting electrification of the railway tracks so that the use of diesel may get nominal," Prabhu said after releasing the 2016-17 annual report on environment sustainibility of the Indian Railways on the occasion of World Environment Day.

The Minister said that track electrification will also cut down on emissions.

According to Prabhu, his ministry has creted a separate environment directorate and it was working with United Nations Environment Programme.

The Railway Minister said that the environment conservation can help in "boosting the economy".

"Water conservation itself resulted in a saving of Rs 300 crore across railways," Prabhu said.

Emphasising on the use of other forms of the renewable energy, Prabhu said: "We are switching to other renewable sources of energy like solar energy, wind energy."

The Minister also released a new water policy to ensure efficient use of water by the railways.