Gujarat High Court grants clearance for commencement of land acquisition for Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train

The Gujarat High Court granted clearance for commencement of the land acquisition process for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail (HSR) corridor project on September 19, 2019. The project was facing roadblocks in implementation due to protests by farmers against land acquisition. Following this, the high court had directed the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to conduct a social impact assessment for the project. The project involves development of the 508 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR corridor in Maharashtra and Gujarat at an investment of Rs 1,080 billion. It will be implemented by a special purpose vehicle – National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited – incorporated by the MoR and the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments with equity stake of 50:25:25 respectively.