What was done for plantations like tea and coffee?

Correct answer: Forests were cleared

The direct answer is D: forests were cleared for plantations such as tea and coffee. Colonial authorities and private plantation owners wanted large, continuous areas for commercial crops. They cut natural forests, prepared the land and established plantations, often using labour under difficult conditions. This changed mixed forests into single-crop estates and harmed many forest communities by reducing access to customary resources. D is correct because clearing land was the necessary first step for creating plantations. A is wrong because drying rivers was not the general plantation policy described here. B is irrelevant: cities were not closed to make plantations. C is wrong because railways were expanded to carry plantation crops and materials, not removed. Memory cue: commercial plantation expansion → forest clearing.