Sambalpur, May 5: For employees of East Coast Railway (Sambalpur), retirement may just mean going green.

In a bid to encourage conservation efforts and sensitise employers regarding environment issues, the division office of the East Coast Railway recently hit upon a unique idea for a retirement gift — a sapling.

Seven employees of Sambalpur division, who retired on April 30, 2008, were the first batch to receive the young plant along with all the usual retirement gifts. The gift was accompanied with a request — that the employee plants it un his or her favourite corner of the garden.

The recent ceremony was held in the presence of senior divisional officers, including the DRM, Binay Krishna Patel, who handed over the saplings. “At present, trees and animals are two of the endangered species that need our help the most,” said Patel at the meeting.

He then requested present employees to not wait for their “retirement” day to start something positive such as planting trees.

Along with the DRM there was Arjun Mundiya, the ADRM and P.K. Sharma, the assistant personnel officer, present at the function where Kunja Bihari Nag, Natho Mahananda, Bansi Pradhan, M. Ram, B. Sonari, D.V.T.K. Reddy and P.C. Apparao retired.