Villagers want other things - Fusion - WeRIndia

The government’s ambitious project to build India’s first bullet train is very expensive, costing many crores of rupees.

Because the government is planning this large project while so many other local issues still remain unsolved, the Palghar district of Maharashtra is demanding that their essential needs gain first priority.

The villagers of the Palghar district are asking for ambulances, doctors, solar street lights, and ponds, among other things.

They are asking that these demands be met before they agree to the government’s ambitious and costly project of making India’s first bullet train.

In response to these demands, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHRCL) has tweaked its strategy for the bullet train project.

The NHRCL is the nodal body to implement the government’s bullet train project. They are agreeing to many of the conditions of the Palghar district, while still ensuring that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train is on track for a launch in 2022.

Previously, the NHRCL had failed to make headway though their mass contact programs in the 23 villages where it faced the most resistance.

Changing its approach, the NHRCL is now asking individual landowners for their demands, in addition to the compensation that they are already due. This allows both sides of the issue to have their voices heard and their goals met.

About 110 kilometers of the entire 508 kilometers of the train corridor passes through the Palghar district. Fruit growers and tribal people in the area have bitterly opposed the land acquisition for this bullet train.

However, the NHRCL’s new approach appears to be working.

Since the people of these villages are having their voices heard, they are agreeing to the bullet train project if their own demands are met as well.

Now, thanks to the NHRCL’s new approach, the villagers can have their essential needs met while the bullet train project can still go underway.

Image credit: Photo by Fikri Rasyid on Unsplash (Free for commercial use)

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