Maharashtra govt to help expedite land acquisition in the state for bullet train project

New Delhi: Maharashtra government authorities have assured the railway ministry of expediting the work on land acquisition for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, Chairman and CEO of Railway Board VK Yadav said on Monday.
While a majority of land to be acquired in Gujarat for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet train corridor is already done, only 22% of the required land has been acquired in Maharashtra.

Yadav told reporters during a press briefing that the ministry has held detailed discussions with State government officials in Maharashtra, and tenders will be invited soon after land acquisition in the State progresses.

“In Gujarat we have acquired 86% land, and in the next month, we will have acquired 95% of the land in the state,” Yadav said. “In Maharashtra, only 22% if the land is acquired,” he added.

In all, 66% of the total land required for construction of the project has been acquired, yadav said.

“We have had a detailed meeting with the (Maharashtra) State government, and we have been assured that the land acquisition work in Maharashtra will also be expedited," Yadav said.

Land acquisition for the big-ticket project has faced hurdles because of resistance from farmers and tribals, and lack of keenness on the State government’s part.

Infrastructure giant Larsen & Toubro last month bagged a Rs 25,000 crore tender for the design and construction of 237 km length of viaduct for 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

The tender covers about 47% of total alignment of 508 km, between Vapi and Vadodara in the state of Gujarat.

Of the 508.17 km-long bullet train corridor, 155.76 km will be in Maharashtra, 348.04 km in Gujarat and 4.3 km in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The project is estimated to cost around Rs 1.1 lakh crore, with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency financing 81% of the project cost.