Northeast Frontier Railway takes several green initiatives across the zone

DIMAPUR — The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has embarked on a series of pioneering initiatives across its network to promote environmental sustainability and achieve the objectives of Indian Railways’ Green Mission 2030.

Among those efforts, the transformation of Guwahati railway station is on the way to becoming India’s first 100% plastic recyclable station.

An update from NFR chief PRO, Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, stated that the initiative is being planned through a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NFR, Pollution Control Board, Assam (PCBA) and a local authorised recycler with technical support from IIT Guwahati.

The initiative combines scientific innovation, regulatory compliance and practical execution to create a replicable model for effective plastic waste management across the region.

Under the programme, NFR has implemented a comprehensive plastic waste management system that included colour-coded dustbins for segregation, bottle-crushing machines, composting units and QR code-based monitoring for real time efficiency tracking. Eco-friendly compostable bags, developed by IIT Guwahati have replaced single-use plastics in trains, significantly reducing plastic waste generation.

Read more: Northeast Frontier Railway records 9.63% rise in freight unloading during September

To further promote awareness and encourage public participation, NFR has organised numerous “waste-to-art” exhibitions, Nukkad Nataks, Scouts and Guides awareness drives and digital campaigns at various stations. The efforts have fostered environmental consciousness among passengers, vendors and railway staff. As a result, it stated that vendor compliance has reached 100%, while passenger cleanliness complaints have dropped by 60% and the overall station ambience has markedly improved.

It further mentioned that NFR plans to extend the 100% plastic recyclable station model to nine more stations across its network. The initiative aims to make the entire zone cleaner, greener and more environmentally responsible.