Hazira-Gothan broad gauge gets ‘special railway project’ status

While there had been opposition to the land acquisition for the project, Jardosh listened to all the parties and had deliberations with the Gujarat government, the release added. “It has been decided that a major portion of this railway be laid on government land so that the relation of the industry with the farmland remains harmonious,” said the release.

The huge industrial estate of Hazira is now dependent on National Highway 48 for its freight shipping. This railway for goods carriage from Gothan to Hazira will help reduce some of the load from the highway, the release said.

In February 2022, Surat Collector Ayush Oak had sent a proposal to the Gujarat government to acquire land for constructing a new goods train broad gauge track between Hazira port and the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCC) at Gothan village yard in Olpad taluka of Surat district.

Khedut Samaj Gujarat had then opposed the land acquisition process for industries at Hazira, asking why the existing  goods train track between Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) and Gothan was not being used.

Around 575 bigha (nearly 85 hectares) of land falling in 14 villages of Choryasi taluka, Olpad taluka and Surat city, was to be acquired to lay the freight track for around 40 kms.