Govt to go ahead with bullet train project, says CM Fadnavis

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Opposition parties have slammed the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, but chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told the legislative council that the government would go ahead with the project and it would not be reconsidered. He said that the bullet train fare would be equivalent to regular railway fare. 

Mr Fadnavis claimed that Maharashtra has received more benefits due to the Konkan Railway, but other states had contributed equally so there was no logic in comparing how much of the bullet train would be in the state and how much in Gujarat. He said that the Centre has not yet approved the state government’s proposal to set up the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Mumbai as a financial SEZ. But the state would go ahead with the project and the plinth work of bullet train underground station at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and the IFSC would be common. “We will construct the IFSC without the permission of the Union government as a finance SEZ,” Mr Fadnavis said. 

Congress MLA Sanjay Dutt had filed a calling-attention motion in the Council on the bullet train and IFSC issue where he demanded that the government reconsider the project. He had said, “Though the government is claiming that the interest rate is very low, the cost of the project is very high. The government should first improve the suburban rail network. 

But Mr Fadnavis refuted all allegations, giving an example of constructing airports. “When air services started, they were used by very few passengers. Even today the number of air passengers is equal to the only 3 per cent of the population, but it is a very essential service,” he said.