Survey for high speed railway corridor between Delhi and Amritsar starts in Punjab

IIM-Research, New Delhi, has been entrusted with the socio-economic survey for the corridor that would have a dedicated 55-feet wide railway track for bullet trains that are proposed to be run at a speed of 320 km per hour and is expected to shorten the travel time between Amritsar to Delhi from the current five hours to two hours.

The IIM-Research has constituted 12 teams and engaged them in Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali districts on Monday to speak to the residents, whose land is likely to be acquired for the project.

Mahendra Pratap, a representative of IIM-Research, who conducted the survey in Dadiana village in Fatehgarh Sahib district said they they were at present trying to find out if the proposed acquisition of land would include houses, tubewells and trees. “We are also checking if residents, whose land is to be acquired, were dependent on this piece of land for making a living. Our mission is to acquire mainly agricultural land. The final decision of acquisition would be taken after keeping all these points in mind,” he said.

He added that in all, land of 365 villages would be acquired for the project. “It is too early to say anything as to when the acquisition would begin. It may take five years. The affected resident would be given a compensation amount that is around five times the collectors rate of the land,” Pratap tod the villagers on Monday.

He added that if half the residents of a village object to acquisition of land, then the project may be shifted to another village. He said that the corridor would be fenced from both the sides to prevent any untoward incident as the train would have a maximum speed of 350 km per hour.

The train would start from Dwarka in Delhi, and will have stoppages at Sonepat, Panipat, Kukurshetra, Ambala, Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar. A separate survey is being conducted in Mohali to set up a railway station as the HSR has its own dedicated corridor given its high speed.

The soil testing for the project is yet to be started. A feasibility report and a geographical survey, however, has already been conducted. The railways has already sought details of land which will be acquired. “In Dadiana village alone, 36 residents, most of them farmers are likely to be affected,” he said.

In Dadiana village, a few farmers have raised objections to their land being acquired.

Manjit Singh, a farmer said, he had received a notice for a part of his agriculture land that also had a tubewell on it. “I am not going to allow the government to acquire my land,” he said.

A second farmer said that his jaggery making unit and his house would be affected by the acquisition. “I am not interested in giving my land away. This land helps me feed my family. It is my bread and butter,” he said.
Pratap said that at present they were noting down the objections of the farmers, and recording their phone numbers.

“We will speak to them once again later and prepare a report on their objections also. The district administration later is likely to also invite objections from these people. It will be a long process that will require months.”