Bullet train threat looms over two societies near railway station

Vadodara: Residents of Shila Lekh Society and Patra Ni Chawl located behind Vadodara railway station on Sunday raised objection to the ambitious Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project being implemented by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).
The residents, who are living in this locality for decades, are tense after a team of surveyors informed them that they will have to vacate their houses for the bullet train project.

Both the Shila Lekh Society which has 78 duplexes, 60 apartments and around 33 shops and Patra Ni Chawl which is home to nearly 200 residents are located 200 m away from the platform number six of the railway station.

“Senior citizens, widows and women are spending sleepless nights after the team of nine surveyors led by one Hiren Dave from NHSRCL informed us that land of our entire society will be acquired for the bullet train project,” said S K Agrawal, a consultant engineer.

Agrawal said that the surveyors have informed the residents that they will return with compensation forms that the residents are supposed to submit against the land which will be acquired for the project.

“We are not against our land being used for setting up railway track for the project. But it has already been decided that the bullet project will come up on an elevated track and will criss-cross from platform number six to platform number seven. Hence, the land they will acquire from us will be used for commercial purpose which we are opposing,” he said.

According to the residents, a year ago, after a similar exercise, the surveyors had put up yellow marked posts indicating that just part of the society will be acquired for the project.

“Also, there is no clarity on what kind of compensation will be provided to the residents. Even if we are provided compensation, it will not be enough to purchase any alternate residential property which is near to railway station, hospitals and banks. It will ultimately lead to hardships especially for the senior citizens, widows and women,” he said.