The news of the bullet train being launched in India was met with mixed reactions. There were those who welcomed this as a sign of progress and prosperity; which would give Indians access to an advanced transportation system. Then there were those who thought that this was a wasteful, unnecessary expenditure of public money that could be put to much better use. There has also been opposition to the proposed bullet train from conservationists and from farmers and others whose lands are being acquired.
The Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor is to be India’s first such rail line built with Japanese collaboration. Costing about 1.1 lakh crores, the route is scheduled to become operational in 2022. According to reports, The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL)could expand operations to ten more bullet train routes, including New Delhi-Amritsar, New Delhi-Varanasi, New Delhi-Kolkata, Patna-Kolkata, New Delhi-Mumbai, Chennai-Bengaluru routes.
There has been significant delay in the process of land acquisition for the rail corridor by the Governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Most of the rail route is to be elevated; however land still needs to be acquired along the entire length of the route. Meanwhile the training of drivers, signal and maintenance personnel, is being carried out at a training centre in Vadodra as well as in Japan.
About a thousand farmers from Gujarat and Maharashtra are protesting the creation of the bullet train corridor because they would be required to give up their lands for it. The consent of farmers was not taken it is alleged. Resettlement and rehabilitation issues also remain. About 800 farmers marched in Navsari in South Gujarat to demand better compensation for their land.
The National Federation of Indian Railways (NFIR), has also voiced its opposition to the bullet train. They have demanded prioritisation of the much-needed maintenance and repair work of existing train networks across the country. The organisation has also demanded an increase in pay of skilled workers and the filling of 2.5 lakh vacant positions.
Several environmental organisations have come together to protest against the project; calling it a climate-negative action. There is the apprehension that about 80,000 trees will have to be felled to make way for the corridor through mangroves and reserved forests. The organisations; calling for a rollback of the project also question the economic viability of the project.
The corridor passes through bird areas as well as three protected areas – the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary and Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary. There will be habitat loss to animals; a negative impact of tree cutting. Given that there are so many objections to the high speed rail corridor and the bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, many have questioned the need of such a high cost project. The bullet train will benefit only a few at a very high cost – social, economic and environmental.
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