Order to cut down trees upsets railway staff

KOCHI: The Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer’s (DME) order asking the staff to cut down the trees at the railway marshalling yard has created ripples among the employees at the yard.The order came a few days back and asked the staff to cut down the trees around the coach repairing workshop area.According to the employees, the move to cut down the trees is insensitive.“These trees were planted by the staff years back so as to get shade.Some of the trees took long years of care to grow as big as they are now.Till now, the authorities had no problem.The sudden decision to cut down the trees is very insensitive,” said a worker there.In addition, these trees were planted by the mechanical staff themselves.“Years back, some employees from the mechanical department had planted these trees when they were deployed on duty at the yard.Now, the officials are making the same people cut down the trees,” said a staff on conditions of anonymity.“Also, if they are so bend on cutting down the trees, there is a separate department responsible to the do the job.Why are they asking the people who had grown the trees to cut them down? We have been hearing rumours that soon we’ll be asked to cut the trees in other areas as well,” the source said.A Junior Engineer, supervising the work at the yard said, “The DME had given us the order stating that the trains are getting damaged because of the trees which have been standing on the way for years. He said that it is damaging the coaches,” he added.