571 of 714 hectares required for bullet train acquired: Gujarat minister

The Gujarat government on Friday said it had acquired 571 of 714 hectares of land required for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project and had paid Rs 2,100 crore as compensation to farmers. The high-speed corridor, with a total length of 508 kilometres, will pass through 197 villages in eight districts in Gujarat, state Revenue minister Kaushik Patel said on Friday.

"The Gujarat government is working at bullet speed to implement the flagship bullet train project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This high speed corridor will have 12 stations of which four will be in Maharashtra and eight in Gujarat," Patel informed.

"Of the 714 hectares of land required, the Gujarat government has already acquired 571 hectares. Joint management survey for acquisition of land has been completed in 188 of 197 villages. Acquisition contracts have been signed with approval of farmers for 2,735 out of a total of 3213 plots," Patel added.

Patel, who was speaking after meeting collectors in Gandhinagar, said farmers had been paid Rs 2,100 crore as compensation for the land. The Centre wants the high speed corridor, being built with Japanese loans and technology, to be commissioned by August 15, 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of Independence. The 508.17 kilometre corridor comprises a 155.76 km stretch in Maharashtra, 348.04 km in Gujarat and 4.3 km in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.