Green Light for Bullet Train Project Between Mumbai and Ahmedabad

Green Light for Bullet Train Project –

On Thursday, the Bombay High Court gave the project for a bullet train the go-ahead and declined to throw out the purchase of the site owned by Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd. in Vikhroli.

A division bench of Justices RD Dhanuka and MM Sathaye stated, “There are no anomalies in the acquisition… The project is of great importance… The public interest will win over private interest.” Additionally, the court declined to halt the project.

The deputy collector’s award and compensation of Rs 264 crore for the purchase of 39,252 sq m (9.69 acres) of corporate land for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project were contested by Godrej on September 15, 2022. The corporation asserted that the sum was a small portion of the Rs. 572 crore initial offering.

The main concern raised in the petition, however, was a notification dated August 20, 2019, which exempted the project from Section 10A of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act, 2013, which requires social impact assessments. A provision of Section 25 of the Fair Compensation Act that allows the State to provide extensions for the issuance of the award was also contested as being unconstitutional.

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Since 2019, there has been conflicting between Godrej and the government regarding the acquisition of company-owned land. 21 km of the 508.17 kilometers of train track that will connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be subterranean. The area at Vikhroli is where one of the entrances to the underground tube is located (owned by Godrej).

Godrej asserted that there were blatant illegalities in the land acquisition proceedings, while the State accused Godrej of being responsible for a cost increase of Rs. 1000 crore as a result of project delays.

There were no anomalies in the transaction, according to ASG Anil Singh and AG Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, who were aided by Attorney Akshay Shinde. The first offer for the site was Rs. 500 crore, but it was eventually purchased for less.

The AG claimed that the Commissioner of the Konkan division had expressed a number of concerns with the draught purchase, which led to the need for extensions in the acquisition. It required time because it involved modifying the reservation of particular lands.

Sections 10A and 25 of the 2013 Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act have been upheld by the High Court as constitutionally legitimate. Also upheld is the notification made according to article 258 exempting the project from a social impact assessment.

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The corporation had asked the High Court to instruct the state government not to move through with the award that had been passed and the beginning of possession procedures in its petition that was submitted in October.

Godrej claims that the government didn’t follow the Fair Compensation Act’s mandatory statutory standards. The corporation alleged that the government has handled this issue as an intellectual exercise rather than addressing it.

According to the corporation, the Union did not comply with Article 254(1) of the Indian Constitution by producing the documents submitted for the President of India’s approval. The company added that they only recently generated this paper.

The rejoinder stated, “In fact, on and from October 1961 till date, the Petitioner (Godrej & Boyce) has faced eight acquisition proceedings pursuant to which in excess of 500 acres of lands at Vikhroli have been acquired. It is a corporation that has historically acted fairly, reasonably, with responsibility, and has consistently extended its full co-operation to relevant government authorities in respect of land acquisition proceedings.”

The corporation has already purchased 56 acres for the Eastern Express Highway and 89 sq yards of land for the laying of extra lines in connection with the Ghatkopar-Mulund Arterial Railway Sidings.