India's first bullet train project hits a roadblock in Mumbai

 Wednesday, June 8, 2016 - 

Representational image | Courtesy: AP

Zee Media Bureau

Mumbai: India's first bullet train project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai appears to have hit a roadblock, and that too a major one.

As per a report in The Indian Express, the Maharashtra government has told the Indian Railways that it would not allow the most crucial station of the Rs 98,000-crore project – Mumbai – to be built at the proposed site.

The Railways is set to construct the Mumbai station underground at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), which is a central business district.

The plan to construct the Mumbai station at BKC was prepared by Japanese consultants, who had done a thorough research before zeroing in on the area.

However, the state government is now reported to have told the Railways that the proposed station at BKC would affect its plans to come up with a financial centre at the same place.

The Maharashtra government is not ready to budge despite the fact that the bullet train station would be underground, the newspaper report said.

The state government estimates a loss to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore if the station is built at the proposed site.

Officials from the Railway Ministry have already met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other officials but no breakthrough has been reached.

It is expected that the matter would now be taken to the Prime Minister's Office where a solution could be found or a compromise reached.

And that is a real possibility keeping in mind PM Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party rules in Maharashtra.