The Shinde-Fadnavis government has granted all necessary approvals to expedite the Rs 1.1 lakh crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. This was announced by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis following the state cabinet meeting on Thursday.
The new government would soon decide on the handover of the 4.2 hectares of land in the Bandra-Kurla Complex for the construction of a terminal for the bullet train.
Currently, there is a jumbo Covid care facility housed on the same land and the government has instructed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Authority and the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation to vacate the space soon.
A state urban development department official said that during the previous government, there was negligible movement though the process of land acquisition for the project had been undertaken in other parts of Maharashtra.
“The NHSRCL had to cancel the tender issued in November 2019 for the construction of an underground terminus for the bullet train project in the BKC, as the state government did not hand over the land. The Fadnavis government had given its approval for the handover of the land in February 2018 but it was not done, despite reminders from the NHSRCL. However, the new government is keen on handing over the land and thereby give the much-needed push for the completion of the project,” he said.
Land acquisition has been a big issue for this project, especially in Maharashtra. Around 62 per cent of the land has been acquired in the state; as against this, in Gujarat more than 98 per cent of the land has been acquired and all five civil packages have been awarded.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project spans 508 kilometres, with 348 kilometres in Gujarat, 4 kilometres in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and the remaining 156 kilometres in Maharashtra.