Govt. won’t go ahead with bullet train project without land owners’ consent

Smiley start: RPI leader Ramdas Athawale arriving at Vidhan Bhavan on Monday.  

State ready to give land for tribals’ rehabilitation, instead of compensation, Minister tells Council

Mumbai: The State government will not bulldoze the demands of tribals protesting the ₹1.08 lakh crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Chandrakant Patil assured the Council on Monday that the government will not proceed with the bullet train project without the consent of the land owners, and they will be adequately compensated.

Tribals in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region had, on December 27, 2017, written to the Collector expressing unhappiness over the land acquisition for four major projects: bullet train, Nagpur-Mumbai prosperity corridor, widening of the Ahmedabad-Dahanu highway, and a local dam.

The tribal protest was brought up by legislator Anand Thakur, who said 750 files regarding acquisition of land for the projects are pending for approval. “The tribals are not happy with the way land is being acquired. Has the government conducted a social impact assessment for these areas? Will the government give them land instead of monetary compensation?” Mr. Thakur asked.

The revised land compensation rules, Mr. Patil said, make it binding on the government not to issue work orders until 90% of the estimated land is acquired. “We will not go ahead with the [bullet train] project if people don’t want it. If the affected farmers need rehabilitation on another land, that will be considered too.”

Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Ghore said Bhoomiputra Bachav Samiti, an NGO, has put forward two demands: the water supply, which used to cover 14,000 hectares of farm land instead of only 8,000 hectares owing to the projects, be restored; and gram sabhas be consulted for any acquisition.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had, last week, told the Upper House that the government, under no circumstances, will stop the bullet train project.

The rail corridor was sanctioned by the Centre in December 2015. The 508-km railway line will have 12 stations, of which Mumbai, Thane, Virar and Boisar are in Maharashtra. The State, under the Central land acquisition norms, is offering five times the value of the land to farmers.