by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Raj Thackeray
Mumbai : In the aftermath of the stampede which killed 22 commuters on Friday, MNS President Raj Thackeray on Saturday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “liar” and warned that he would not allow the Bullet Train project till all suburban commuters’ issues are resolved.
“I shall not allow even a brick for the Bullet Train project to be laid. First resolve all the basic problems of Mumbai commuters. If Modi wants, let him construct it in Gujarat. If they use force, we shall also retaliate,” an agitated Thackeray thundered.
Attacking the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he called Modi a “liar” who changed all his statements before and after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
“We have never seen a PM who is such a big liar. He made big promises and then dismissed them as ‘election jumlas’. How much can a person lie in this fashion?” asked Thackeray.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President claimed that Suresh Prabhu was replaced by Piyush Goyal as the Railway Minister only to push through the Bullet Train project.
“This Goyal is useless, Prabhu was good.”
Thackeray announced that he would personally lead a morcha to Churchgate on October 5 to oppose the Bullet Train plans and urged all Mumbaikars to participate in large numbers.
After the deadly stampede on Friday, there have been sharp reactions from across the public and political spectrum on priority being accorded to the expensive Bullet Train project vis-a-vis providing basic amenities to Mumbai’s daily eight million plus railway commuters.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray
Mumbai : Severely criticising the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, ruling NDA ally Shiv Sena on Thursday dismissed it as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “expensive dream” which will “loot the nation of Rs 108,000 crore”.
Moreover, the newly-appointed Railway Minister Piyush Goyal — who is also the BJP treasurer — has been specifically brought in only for this project, the Sena said, adding “as part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘policy of transparency’.”
The foundation stone of India’s first high-profile high-speed rail project was jointly laid in Ahmedabad on Thursday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
“Japan will bring everything for the project – from nails to rails, manpower to technology and even cement-concrete,… The land and money will come from Gujarat and Maharashtra, and Tokyo will rake in all the profits. But, despite the loot and fraud, all are congratulating Modi’s pet project,” the Shiv Sena said in sharp edits in the party’s mouthpieces “Saamana” and “Dopahar Ka Saamana”.
The Sena also pointed out that Mumbai’s overburdened and unsafe suburban rail network was suffering for lack of funds and improvement, many incomplete rail projects languish in the state.
“However, bullet trains will now zip between Ahmedabad-Mumbai without anybody even asking for it.”
“Bullet Train is not India’s ordinary masses’ dream… It will cater only to the rich-and-wealthy classes for which Goyal has been specially chosen…, and to give something ‘new’ to the industrialists of Gujarat where elections are coming up shortly,” the Sena pointed out.
Recalling past mega-projects, the Sena said first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had laid the foundation for many developmental projects and PSUs, ranging from the Bhakra-Nangal Dam to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, and many other schemes that helped the country progress in technology and science.
“All those projects were needed by the country. Is the bullet train a project of national importance for which such a huge amount is being spent to cover the 508-km distance at 350-kmph speed?” the Sena demanded.
Training guns on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Sena said of the 508 km, 156 km and four stations will run through this state for which it would need to shell out at least Rs 30,000 crore, plus tackle the problems of rehabilitation of farmers and project-affected-persons.
“When we raised the issue of complete waiver of farmers’ loans, the CM had warned of ‘anarchy’ in the fund-starved state. Now, you (CM) are putting Rs 30,000-plus for the PM’s rich dream,” the Sena taunted.
Though the BJP is touting the high-speed rail as Modi’s dream, the Sena reminded it was also Modi’s ambitious dream to bring back Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir into India, “after which the bullet train should run smoothly from New Delhi to PoK via Kashmir and Tibet”, it challenged.
“Now we hope and pray… the bullet train is not used to carry out a ‘plunder’ of Mumbai,” the edit concluded.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News
By Gaurav Sharma,
Beijing : As New Delhi and Tokyo take forward their cooperation in building India’s first bullet train, China on Wednesday said it is pleased at the development, and added that Beijing is ready to promote such infrastructure cooperation with New Delhi, including in railways.
“China is pleased to see the infrastructure cooperation among regional countries, including the high-speed railway,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.
“And we stand ready to promote cooperation with India and other regional countries to promote regional development,” he added.
“As to the railway cooperation, I can tell you that it is part of political cooperation between China and India.”
The Foreign Ministry’s reaction comes as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting India on Wednesday for two days, during which he will hold annual summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and both will lay the foundation stone of the ambitious Rs 1.08 lakh crore Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project.
China and Japan are vying with each other for developing bullet trains in India and the region.
“We have reached important consensus in this regard. According to my information, the relevant competent authorities between the two countries have mainlined communications on promoting, increasing the speed of the railway in the current projects,” Geng added.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business Summit, Corporate, Corporate Governance, Events, News, Politics
By Abdul Hafiz Lakhani,
Ahmedabad : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar on September 13-14 for the annual bilateral summit. On the occasion, the two countries are likely to scale up their strategic partnership.
Within hours of his arrival in Ahmedabad Wednesday afternoon, Modi will accompany the Japanese leader to Sabarmati Ashram, Mahatma Gandhi’s abode. They would also visit the 16th century mosque in the old city – Sidi Saiyad – known for its iconic window filigree work synonymous with Ahmedabad. They would end the day with a dinner and a closed door meeting at a heritage hotel – House of MG – next to the mosque.
On September 14, the two leaders will attend the ground breaking ceremony of the much-awaited bullet train link between Mumbai and Ahmedabad at Sabarmati Railway Station.The 508-km-long project to be built with estimated investment of ₹1,08,000 crore will be funded up to 81% by Japan with soft loan of ₹88,000 crore at interest rate of 0.1% with repayment period 50 years.
“It is for the first time in history in India that an infrastructure project is being funded on such favourable terms,” a release issued by the Gujarat government stated, claiming that the entire project would be funded without putting any strain on existing financial resources of the country.
The release stated that the project testing and commissioning date has been advanced from December 2023 to August 2022.
According to the details of the project, the Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail will be passing through two States, Maharashtra 155.642 km and Gujarat 350.530 km and one Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli 2 km. The double-track project involves 21 km of tunnel with seven km under sea at Thane Creek in Mumbai.
There will be 12 stations catered to, starting from an underground station in Mumbai, while remaining stations at Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati will be elevated.
—-
(Abdul hafiz lakhani is senior journalist based at Ahmadabad, also editor of GUJARAT SIYASAT )
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will on Thursday lay the foundation stone for India’s first bullet train project, connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad, in Ahmedabad, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday.
“The commencement of work on the country’s first High Speed Rail (Bullet train) project will begin on September 14 in Ahmedabad,” Goyal told reporters here, adding that the bullet train technology would “revolutionise and transform the transport sector”.
“This will be a historical moment as India will gets it first bullet train,” he said.
“This is an occasion to celebrate the advent of the most modern technology in India. It shall also benefit the farmers for transportation of agricultural produce in a fast mode,” Goyal said.
The Railway Minister said that the high-speed rail was envisioned by Modi to take Indian Railways towards “most modern technologies like developed countries”.
With the Indian Railways adopting most modern technologies, the bullet train was an endeavour to bring economic growth and prosperity in the country, he said.
The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project will entail an estimated cost of Rs 1,10,000 crore.
“Out of this Rs 1,10,000 crore, Japan is giving a loan of Rs 88,000 crore and the interest on this loan is minimal, i.e. 0.1 per cent,” Goyal said.
“This loan is to be repaid to Japan in 50 years. Loan repayment period of 50 years with 15 years grace.”
Of the 508-km stretch, 92 per cent of the route will be elevated, six per cent in tunnel and the rest two per cent will be on the ground.
That is, 508 km stretch will have 468 km of elevated track, 27 km inside tunnel and the remaining 13 km on the ground.
The high speed train will also pass through the country’s biggest tunnel of 21 km, of which seven km will be under the sea.
Sushant Mishra, Infra Advisor to the Indian Railways, told IANS that Japan was awarded the contract because there had been no accident on its bullet train networks.
“They (Japan) are pioneers of bullet train technology, and their train has the highest punctuality rate,” Mishra said.
Japan was also ready to transfer the technology to India and sponsoring the project.
He also said that the works for the terminal in Sabarmati would start from September 14 itself.
“About 825 hectares of land would be acquired for the high speed rail,” he said.
On the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route, total 12 stations have been proposed that include Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.
The distance of 508 km will be covered in two hours and seven minutes by the bullet train if it stops at four stations namely Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Mumbai.
According to railway ministry officials, the operating speed of the bullet train will be 320 kilometers per hour and maximum speed will be 350 kilometers per hour.
If the bullet train will stop at all 12 stations, then it will cover the distance in two hours and fifty-eight minutes.
In a day, the high-speed train will make 70 Ahmedabad-Mumbai sorties.
“A total of 24 high-speed trains will be imported from Japan and then rest of the rakes will be manufactured in India,” Mishra said.
—IANS
