Farmers opposing bullet train project to file SLPs in SC

Farmers opposing the bullet train project in Gujarat will on Monday file "special leave petitions" (SLPs) in the Supreme Court challenging the high court's September 2019 order dismissing their pleas against the process to acquire land.

As many as 50 SLPs will be filed in the top court representing more than 2500 affected farmers from 192 villages across eight districts where land is being acquired for the project, lawyer Anand Yagnik told PTI on Sunday night.

The Gujarat HC on September 19, 2019 dismissed over 120 petitions filed by farmers challenging the process to acquire their land for the ambitious Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project.

However, in a partial relief to the petitioners, a division bench of justices A S Dave and Biren Vaishnav had said the issue of higher compensation is still "open" and that farmers can approach the authorities concerned to seek more money against their land.

In its order, the court had said that the farmers, while seeking more money, could cite past examples where higher compensation was offered by the National Highway Authority of India or any other such entity for acquiring land.

The bench had upheld validity of the Land Acquisition Act amended by the Gujarat government in 2016, which was approved by President.

The ambitious Ahmemdabad-Mumbai bullet train project was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in September 2017.

Around 80 per cent of the project is being funded by Japan which has provided loan at an interest rate of 0.1 per cent to be paid in 50 years.