Bullet train a white elephant, who will benefit from it?: Uddhav Thackeray

Days after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman declared in her budget speech the Narendra Modi government's commitment to complete the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said his government needed to rethink the project.

Uddhav made the comments in an interview to Saamana, the Shiv Sena's mouthpiece, which appeared on Tuesday morning. Referring to opposition from farmers who were facing acquisition of their land for the project, Uddhav was quoted as saying the bullet train project is a "white elephant and there is no need to have it".

Uddhav argued that discussions needed to be held about the project, asking who would "benefit" from the bullet train". "How many businesses will benefit?" Uddhav asked, declaring his government would take the issue to the people.

Uddhav also took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Saamana interview. When told the bullet train was a dream project of the Modi government, Uddhav declared, "reality is not a dream".

Last month, the Railway Board gave an update on the bullet train project, noting that 47 per cent of land needed for it had been acquired, with the reminder to be acquired in the next six months.

Work on the bullet train project, being carried out with Japanese assistance, began in 2017.Maharashtra's share in the expenses for building the bullet train project is approximately 25 per cent of the total project cost. Japan is giving a soft loan of Rs 88,000 crore for the project.

Soon after he assumed office in late November last year as the head of a coalition government comprising the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP, Uddhav ordered a review of the bullet train project. "This government is of the common man. Like you asked now, yes, we will review the bullet train (project). Have I stayed the bullet train project like Aarey car shed? No, I haven't," Uddhav told reporters in early December.

The Modi government had set a deadline of August 15, 2022, the 75th Independence Day, to complete the bullet train project, which has an estimated cost of Rs 1.08 lakh crore.

Uddhav is not the only source of opposition to the bullet train project. Farmers from over two dozen villages in Gujarat's Navsari district on Monday opposed land acquisition and prevented officials from carrying out measurement of their farm plots.

A farm leader said the protest started in Parthan and four other villages and those opposing the land survey were joined by representatives from 23 other areas.

Farm leader Siddharth Desai said the land in these areas was surveyed a year ago but no compensation had been awarded to anyone as yet, though villagers had demanded at the time that they be paid in two months.