Mumbai: The Bombay high court has directed the railways’ general managers to adhere to the policies it has made for cultivation of excessive railway land. The court also said that sewage water should not be used for cultivation of vegetables.
A division bench of Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Nitin Jamdar was hearing a petition filed by Mera Bharat Samajik Sanstha, a non-profit organisation from Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, alleging that vegetables were being cultivated along the railway tracks of western, central and harbour lines and sewage water was being used for the purpose, which was dangerous to human life.
The petitioner NGO claimed that it had taken random samples of vegetables grown on rail farms and chemically analysed them only to find the presence of heavy metals like zinc, cadmium, lead, cobalt and chromium beyond permissible limits.
Besides, the soil used for farming was also found to be contaminated with industrial and domestic waste, posing serious health hazards for those consuming the produce.
The petitioner urged the HC to direct the railway administration to stop cultivation of vegetables on its excess land, and instead allow employees to grow flowers on the land licensed to them.
The railways however opposed the petition and argued that it had issued instructions to its employees not to use sewage water to cultivate farms along tracks.
In view of the stand taken by the railway administration, the HC bench directed the general managers to ensure that the policy was strictly adhered to, failing which the licenses of employees found using wastewater to cultivate farmland would be
cancelled.
