Gujarat begins process of land acquisition for bullet train project

Japan is providing financial and technical assistance for the project, estimated to cost around Rs 1.08 lakh crore.

Gujarat bullet train, land acquisition for bullet train, bullet train project, bullet train in india, Gujarat government, Narendra Modi, indian express

The foundation stone for the project was jointly laid by PM Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in September last year.

With the 2022 deadline coming up, the Gujarat government has started the process of acquiring land for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, one of the flagship projects launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The state Revenue Department has issued preliminary notifications for 45 villages falling within the jurisdiction of Kheda, Anand, Ahmedabad, Valsad and Surat districts and declaring its intention to acquire land for the “public purpose”. The department is also preparing to issue similar notifications for 27 more villages, sources said.

The land will be acquired under provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation & Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Gujarat Amendment) Act, 2016 — a first with regard to a major project since the law came into force on August 15, 2016. Under the amended Act, the Gujarat government has relaxed some of the stringent provisions of the Act passed by the Centre like mandatory consent of farmers and conducting social impact assessment of the land to ease the acquisition process.

Story continues below this ad

The foundation stone for the project was jointly laid by PM Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in September last year. Japan is providing financial and technical assistance for the project, estimated to cost around Rs 1.08 lakh crore.

A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has been set up for the project which has been named National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC).

The Centre has set up a three-tier system to monitor the project. Niti Aayog vice-chairman and a special advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan would together be the overall top authority to take stock of the progress.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram