Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project gets all clearances from Maharashtra govt: Fadnavis

Maharashtra's state deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis approved the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, a project that is worth Rs 1,10,000 crore, reports PTI.

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State deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced the Maharashtra government has given all the necessary approvals to move on with the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. After the state cabinet meeting, Fadnavis told a press conference that the project had received all necessary approvals from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

He stated that some of the unresolved concerns were land acquisition and clearing of forests. The project's anticipated cost is Rs 1,10,000 crore, of which the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing funding for Rs. 88,000 crores. The Thane and Palghar districts have obtained more than 70 per cent of the land needed in Maharashtra for the project.

The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, headed by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had not taken any step to put the project on the fast track. Thackeray had instead asked the railway ministry to build the high-speed train corridor between Pune and Nagpur cities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then-Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe laid the foundation of the bullet train project in Ahmedabad in September 2017. The train is expected to cover the distance of over 500 km in around two hours.