What colonial objective was shown by timber demand for railway sleepers?

Correct answer: Use of forest resources for transport expansion

Direct answer: Option C, use of forest resources for transport expansion. Railways were built by the colonial government to move soldiers, officials, raw materials and finished goods. Railway sleepers are strong wooden supports placed under railway tracks, so thousands of trees had to be cut and supplied regularly. Step by step: railway expansion increased the need for sleepers; sleepers required durable timber; forests were exploited to obtain that timber; therefore transport development and colonial resource extraction were connected. Option A is wrong because colonial policy generally restricted local forest rights rather than increasing them. Option B is wrong because large-scale timber felling did not leave forests untouched. Option C is correct because it expresses both the transport purpose and the use of natural resources. Option D is wrong because closing plantations was unrelated to railway sleepers. Memory cue: railway plus sleepers means transport expansion plus timber extraction.