And now, MNS threatens to stop Bullet train project
17 May 2018
In fresh trouble for the Narendra Modi government’s prestigious Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor project, members belonging to Maharashtra’s Navnirman Sena outfit have forced suspension of the work of measuring land that needs to be acquired for the Bullet Train project.
Officials said the process of measuring the land was suspended on 7 May, after workers belonging to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) disrupted the process several times. The work was suspended in the afternoon, despite the presence of a posse of police, following a surge in the number of protestors, according to reports.
The state Public Works Department has been carrying out the process of land measurement in the Shilphata area of Shil village in neighbouring Thane district, say reports.
“We will continue to oppose this measurement drive, as we want jobs and not a bullet train. There will be flash protests as well, to force the authorities to suspend the work,” one report quoted Avinash Jadhav, MNS’ Thane district chief, as saying.
Party chief Raj Thackeray has told his followers that the Bullet Train project is a surreptitious route to bifurcating Mumbai from Maharashtra.
The party, tweeting from its official Twitter handle @mnsadhikrut, alleged that the bullet train project was a ploy to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. “It is clear that the bullet train project is an attempt to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. Raj Thackeray had already announced of not allowing erection of a single brick of the train project. The government should not thrust the project upon us,” the MNS’ tweet read.
The MNS further said on the micro-blogging site that in case the land measurement process for the rail corridor continued, the party would escalate opposition to it, in its ‘own style’. MNS chief Raj Thackeray has been a vocal opponent of the multi-billion dollar project and has, during his public rallies, appealed to farmers along the route of the high speed corridor, to not allow the Railways to acquire their lands.
The 508-kilometre Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, estimated to cost Rs1,08,000 crore, is being built with a Japanese government loan that would cover 81 per cent of the cost. The project, being constructed by a special purpose vehicle called the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC), is targeted for commissioning by 2022-23.