by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
On board Vande Bharat Express : Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Friday said the high-speed Vande Bharat Express is the first step to heralding the bullet train in India.
“I am very happy that Vande Bharat (formerly Train 18) is an icon of our engineering efficiency and skills,” the former Union Minister told IANS on board the train that touches 160 km an hour, the fastest on Indian Railways.
“This train passes through Kanpur, which I represent in the Lok Sabha now, Prayagraj and Benares which I had represented in the past. This train originates from Delhi, my place of birth,” Joshi said.
He said he was also happy that this train was a culmination of the seeding of a vision for a future railway system which may lead to the development of a bullet train that will be completely designed and manufactured in India.
“We should be prepared to face the challenge and make improvements in our engineering skills and economies of scale so that its acceptability is for all. The fares should be acceptable for the poor sections too.
“The safety of the system should also be ensured because we should be careful about the safety on the system keeping in mind terror attacks like (in) Pulwama. Therefore, we should be careful about protection of the railway system,” he said.
Joshi also said that all political parties should take a unified approach on combating Pakistan-sponsored terrorism without trying to score political points.
“I feel the country must take a unified stand on whatever decisions (are taken) to combat Pakistan-sponsored terrorism without any difference of opinion. All parties should devise a common approach and wholeheartedly join them.
“No place should be allowed to support terrorism and bigotry and no one should try to draw political benefit at the cost of the country’s interest,” Joshi told IANS on board the train that links New Delhi and Varanasi and was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning.
Joshi was reacting to the worst ever terror attack on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday that left 45 CRPF troopers dead at the hands of a suicide bomber in Pulwama district.
Joshi described Thursday’s incident as a ghastly attack which deserved condemnation of not only in India but everyone across the world to create an international bulwark for crushing terrorist elements.
“These are aspects of international consolidation of democratic and peaceful societies.”
Second, Joshi said, terrorist elements and tendencies should be identified in the country and such platforms should be demolished.
For this, psychological efforts were needed to change the mindset of people, especially youth, to create abhorrence for violence.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
Mumbai : The Centre has outrightly rejected Maharashtra’s plea to extend the upcoming Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train corridor via Nashik, according to recent RTI replies received by a Mumbai activist Jeetendra Ghadge here on Saturday.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had written separately to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on January 13, 2016 urging the inclusion of Nashik in the first-ever High Speed Rail project, or Bullet Train, to be implemented in India.
“The alignment now recommended by the consultants covers only three cities in Maharashtra: Mumbai, Thane and Boisar (in Palghar district). I think that the state will truly benefit from the HSR Project if the network is extended to other important cities in the state,” said Fadnavis’ letter.
Buttressing his plea, the Chief Minister pointed out that during his (official) visit to Japan earlier, he had explored the possibility of extending the HSR Project to include Nashik, which is already a part of the ambitious Mumbai-Howrah Diagonal on the proposed HSR Diamond Quadrilateral.
“I therefore request you to consider the Mumbai-Nashik HSR Project as the first phase of the proposed HSR Quadrilateral Network to be developed by the High Speed Rail Corporation of Indian Railways. I would be grateful if this project is announced in the forthcoming Railway Budget of FY 2016-2017,” Fadnavis had pleaded.
While Modi and Prabhu did not respond to the plea, only the Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha replied to the letter.
Much to the state government’s shock, Sinha categorically rejected its request to include Nashik on the grounds of ‘feasibility’.
However, the MoS Railways assured that Nashik would be considered in the proposed feasibility study of the Mumbai-Nagpur Bullet Train project being planned.
“The fact that the Maharashtra Chief Minister requested to connect Nashik proves that the state has no practical benefit of the Bullet Train Project as currently proposed. It seems like the state government is forced into accepting the project since it is the Prime Minister’s pet project which will benefit his home state Gujarat,” Ghadge said.
In planning since 2010, the HSR Project materialized with the grand announcement of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train proposal in 2014.
It will be built at a cost of around Rs 1.10 lakh crore, with nearly one-fifth of the amount coming as a long-term soft loan from Japan.
On the first-ever Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor, there will be eight stations in Gujarat – Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, while Maharashtra will get around three.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
Ahmed Patel
Gandhinagar : Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat Ahmed Patel on Wednesday led a delegation of state party leaders and farmers to Gujarat Governor O.P. Kohli to submit a memorandum on various issues related to acquisition of land for the Bullet Train project and those concerning farmers and Panchayati Raj institutions.
“We are not opposing development, the Congress has never opposed development. Our track record of the last 25-30 years shows that we ensured balanced development of both agriculture and industries. It has never been one at the cost of the other. But the NDA government is bent upon industries’ development at the cost of farmers,” Patel told the media.
He alleged that after failing to bring in an ordinance to amend the land acquisition laws and an all-round outcry against the move, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government stuck to the law brought by the UPA regime on land acquisition.
However, they they made amendments to the parts of law coming under the purview of states and did away with the clauses related to public hearing, social impact, etc., he said.
“We oppose such amendments. Public hearings are announced hours before the hearing, making it impossible for the farmers to attend. We demand that for the Bullet Train project, either the land available with the railways should be used or the land meant for the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).”
Patel said that the Congress would also support the farmers’ movement to be organised in Palghar, Maharashtra, on June 3 to protest against the acquisition of land for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project.
Political parties from Maharashtra have been opposing a recent land survey by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd, which has been entrusted the task to implement the Bullet Train project proposed between Ahmedabad and Mumbai with Japanese collaboration.
The Bullet train is envisaged to travel through Thane and Palghar districts of Maharashtra. This has been opposed by the All India Kisan Sabha, which has launched an agitation against the project.
In the memorandum to the Governor, the Congress also alleged that the ruling BJP government in the state was not adhering to court verdicts on maintaining autonomy of the Panchayati Raj institutions.
“People had no power in either Taluka (Block) panchayats or district panchayats, as those are being run through executive orders of Taluka Development Officers (TDO) and District Development Officers (DDO), who act in line with the wishes of their political bosses,” the memorandum says.
The allegations come on a day when the Gujarat High Court ruled that the members of the panchayat would not be able to bring about a “no-confidence” motion against the Sarpanch in the first year and for six months against Taluka panchayat presidents, as it would be against the spirit of the Constitution.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
By Anand K. Singh,
New Delhi : Unfazed by opposition criticism, Indian Railways is working overtime to push ahead with the much-talked about the “Bullet Train” project, aiming to complete it ahead of the August 2022 deadline set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani, who has a reputation of a turnaround man, has taken up the task of monitoring and chairing the periodic review meetings of the project that is estimated to cost over Rs 1 lakh crore ($15 billion).
Lohani held a high-level meeting in Rail Bhavan last Thursday which was attended by Japanese Ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, Central government officials, Principal Secretary-rank officials of Gujarat and Maharashtra, officials of NHSRCL (National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited), officials of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the General Manager of Western Railway.
A senior railway board member, requesting anonymity, told IANS, “The railways is in no mood to delay the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project. Lohani will now hold a review meeting once every three months… And even on weekly basis, if required.”
Emphasising on the government’s intention, the official said, “The attendance of the Niti Aayog Vice Chairman, the Japanese Ambassador and the CRB in the review meeting is a clear signal that the government is taking the project seriously and there is no scope for any delay.”
“The CRB wants Indian Railway officials to take lessons from their Japanese counterparts about meeting deadlines,” he said.
The opposition has attacked the government for taking up a project at a huge cost instead of focusing on safety, a dire need of the time, and on schemes to improve passenger amenities.
The official said it was also decided at the meeting that “a road map for consultancy and civil engineering works will be prepared by January 2018”.
A ministry official associated with the Bullet Train project said a report on the signalling system and electrical reports would be ready by April 2018. According to him, the tracks and most of the signalling system would be brought from Japan.
The foundation stone for the Rs 1.08 lakh crore ($17 billion) 508-km Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train was laid in Ahmedabad by Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on September 14.
Of the Rs 1.08 lakh crore, Japan is giving a loan of Rs 88,000 crore at a minimal interest of 0.1 per cent for 50 years. And the repayment will begin only after 15 years.
The railway official said that to encourage the Prime Minister’s ambitious ‘Make in India’ programme, “an appeal will be made to Indian and Japanese companies to make use the opportunity to work together”.
Meanwhile, the officials of the government of Maharashtra and Gujarat assured the railways of their help in land acquisition and smooth shifting of raw materials to construction venues.
A three-level monitoring committee was also constituted, including the Vice Chairman of Niti Ayog and Special Advisor to Japanese Prime Minister.
A working group led by Managing Director of NHSRCL Achal Khare and consisting of representatives of the ministries concerned, and the representative of JICA, has been formed. Besides the two committees, a technical expert committee led by the Managing Director of NHSRCL has also been formed.
Of the 508 km stretch, 92 per cent (468 km) of the route will be elevated, six per cent (27 km) will be in tunnels and the remaining two per cent (13 km) will be on the ground .
The high-speed train would also pass through the country’s longest tunnel of 21 km, of which seven km will be under the sea.
Twelve stations have been proposed that include Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.
The distance will be covered in two hours and seven minutes if the train stops at four stations — Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Mumbai. If the train stops at all 12 stations, it will cover the distance in two hours and fifty-eight minutes.
According to Railway Ministry officials, the operating speed of the bullet train would be 320 kmph and the maximum speed would be 350 kmph.
(Anand K. Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Mumbai : As the Narendra Modi government proceeds with the grandiose plans for a Bullet Train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, a RTI query has revealed that over 40 percent of seats on all the trains on this sector go vacant causing huge losses to Western Railway.
According to RTI replies received by Mumbai activist Anil Galgali, only in the past one quarter, the Western Railway’s staggering losses on this sector is nearly Rs 30 crore, or around Rs. 10 crore per month.
“The Indian government is over-enthusiastic and plans to spend more than Rs 1 lakh crore on the Bullet Train project, but it has not done its homework properly,” Galgali said, adding it raises serious question marks on the viability of the Bullet Train project, whenever it comes up.
The Indian Railways have also admitted that they have no plans to introduce any new trains on this sector which is already in the red.
Replying to Galgali’s query on seats occupancy on all the trains between the two cities, the WR revealed that in the past three months, 40 percent all seats went vacant on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector and 44 percent empty on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route.
WR’s Chief Commercial Manager Manjeet Singh said that between July 1-September 30, there are 32 mail/express serving this sector with a total seating capacity of 735,630 seats on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector.
Of these, only 441,795 seats were booked during that period generating a revenue of Rs 30,16,24,623 against the total estimated expected income of Rs 44,29,08,220 – incurring a huge loss of Rs 14,12,83,597 in the past quarter.
Similarly, on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route served by a total of 31 mail/express trains with a seating capacity of 706,446, only 398,002 seats were booked, resulting in a revenue of Rs 26,74,56,982 against the estimated expected income of Rs 42,53,11,471, spelling a massive loss of Rs 15,78,54,489.
The WR provided the data of all the major trains plying on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Mumbai route like the Durantos, Shatabdi Expresses, Lokshakti Express, Gujarat Mail, Bhavnagar Express, Saurashtra Express, Vivek-Bhuj Express and others.
Faced with the vacancies on existing trains, the WR Divisional Engineer, Ahmedabad informed that there is no fresh proposal to introduce any new trains on this sector.
In fact, Galgali said that the most popular train, 12009 Shatabdi Express with a capacity of 72,696 seats sold only 36,117 during the July-September period on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route and in the return direction of the total 67,392 seats, only 22,982 were sold.
This train, which once always ran packed in all seasons both ways has now proved to be a loss-maker, and the executive chair car with 7,505 seats was practically deserted with just 1,469 seats booked, plummeting revenues from the estimated Rs 1,45,49,714 to a paltry Rs 26,41,083 during the last quarter.
The position in all other trains was similar and though there is a higher demand for sleeper class compared to seats, the WR has not done enough to augment its capacity.
Galgali pointed out that given this current alarming scenario, coupled with growing preference for flights and improved road travel, the Central and Gujarat governments must review the expensive option of the Bullet Train before it becomes a white elephant for the Indian taxpayers.
—IANS
