High speed rail: Goyal flays Maha over delay in land acquisition

The construction of India's first high speed rail project has not only hit rough roads but has also taken a political turn. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday took a dig at the Maharashtra government for the delay in land acquisition for the 508 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail and has hinted that it could come up on Vapi-Ahmedabad section only in the first phase.

Goyal was talking about the Union Budget 2021-22 in which the Indian Railways received Rs 1.10 lakh crore. When asked about the multiple bullet train lines proposed, Goyal mentioned about the first proposed line on Mumbai-Ahmedabad section that is stranded in Maharashtra due to issues with land acquisition.

"We are in touch with the chief minister of Maharashtra for land acquisition. Our deadline is 2023. In any case work on Vapi-Ahmedabad stretch is underway. The Maharashtra government should be asked about what are they doing for land acquisition for this project," said Goyal in an online press conference on Thursday.

In Maharashtra, the government has acquired 23 percent of land with major problems in Dahanu where the locals are against the project. In Gujarat, the government has managed to acquire 94 per cent of land.

Meanwhile, the Centre is looking at two new lines Mumbai-Nashik-Nagpur and Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad. Surveys are being done for 741 km long highspeed rail corridor from Mumbai to Nagpur.

In Maharashtra, the government has acquired 23 percent of land with major problems in Dahanu. In Gujarat, the government has managed to acquire 94 per cent of land