India's first bullet train project stuck in Maharashtra, civil tender cancelled

Anushka Khare Posted on: 2022-03-09 11:10:00 Viewer: 5,660 Comments: 0 Country: India City: New Delhi

India's first bullet train project stuck in Maharashtra, civil tender cancelled

New Delhi, India (Urban Transport News): India's first bullet train project - Mumba-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail - is now missed its routes before constrcution as the implementing agency National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has cancelled the second major civil contract package MAHSR - C2 due non-acquisition of required land in Maharashtra. Another reason was no construction firms had shown their interets to participate in this contract package.

NHSRCL has floated a tender for Construction of Tunnelling Works including Testing and Commissioning for Double Line High Speed Railway using (TBM) and (NATM) between Mumbai Underground Station at Bandra-Kurla Complex (MAHSR Km. 0.773) and Shilphata (MAHSR Km. 21.150) for Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor in November 2019. The corporation had given alsmost 11 extensions after publishing the tender notice and failed to acquire the required land.

“Approval for handing land was received on February 26, 2018, but the state has shown no willingness to hand over land. Our requests have gone unheeded since September 2020,” said an official from NHSRCL. The land pocket of 4.2 hectares at BKC was allotted by Maharshtra government with the condition that feasibility of the proposed International Finance and Service Centre (IFSC) be not compromised. The government also insisted cost of land be adjusted against equity contribution of Maharashtra government.

To commence the construction work, the city planning body Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) also needs to shift a petrol pump to an alternate spot. Even this has not being done by the authority as it has cited presence of a Covid-19 care facility for its inability to hand over the land for the BKC terminal.

Due to the pandemic and non-availability of required land, date of opening of tender was extended on several occasions between May 12, 2020 and August 31, 2020. "The move indicates that the railway ministry has resigned to the fact that it will not receive any cooperation from the state government,” said an official.

Now, NHSRCL is planning to construct the bullet train corridor within Gujarat state where almost 100% land has been acquired for the project. This project is one of the dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it will connect Ahmedabad in Gujarat to Mumbai in Maharashtra with 12 stations. Out of 8 bullet train stations fall in Gujarat and remaining 4 stations in Maharashtra.





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