Bullet train is a project of national importance: Patel

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Tuesday said the proposed Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train is a project of national importance and not of any state, comments coming in the wake of criticism of the venture by the Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra. He said Gujarat shares special bond with Mumbai as thousands of people travel for business between Ahmedabad, the state's commercial hub, and India's financial capital. In an interview to Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray likened the multi-crore train project to a "white elephant", and said a decision on its implementation will be taken after he is convinced it will boost industrial development of the state.

'It becomes a national project' 

Thackeray said there should be a comprehensive discussion on viability of the Centre-backed and Japanese- funded project, which has faced stiff opposition from farmers and tribals whose lands are to be acquired. "I have come to know from reports that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said he wants to study the benefits of the bullet train project for Maharashtra and Mumbai, Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar.

Mumbai is the financial capital of the country and people of every region go there for business and other purposes. "Thousands of people travel to Mumbai from Gujarat on a daily basis by trains, buses and flights. For travel by trains, most of the times it takes one month to get confirmed tickets, Patel said. The BJP leader said the high-speed rail corridor, once completed, will significantly reduce travel time between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The bullet train project, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi (in September 2017), will make business travel to the financial capital of the country easy and quick, he said.

The project is being funded by the Japanese government at a very nominal interest rate. This is not a project of any state, of Gujarat or Maharashtra, it is a national project. "When the Indian government signs a deal with other (foreign) governments for a project, it becomes a national project, the Deputy Chief Minister said. Patel said the project, which is estimated to cost Rs 98,000 crore, has progressed rapidly and is in advanced stage of implementation and to review it now does not make any sense.

In the just presented Union budget, the Centre has identified six new sections for high-speed and semi high-speed rail corridors, including Chennai-Bengaluru and Delhi- Varanasi, he said. Financial institutions like the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank or governments of countries like Japan give us loan for development of infrastructure. "Many development projects in Maharashtra have been funded this way. So, he (Thackeray) should not have problem in allowing implementation of the bullet train project, Patel said.

Notably, the Modi government has set the deadline of completing the bullet train project by August 15, 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of independence. The introduction of the first bullet train, which is known as Shinkansen in Japan, will mark India's entry into an era of high-speed trains capable of hitting speeds of up to 350 km per hour. Of the 508.17-km-long high-speed rail corridor, 155.76 km will be in Maharashtra, 348.04 km in Gujarat and 4.3 km in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

(Image credit: PTI)