As many as 1,000 farmers affected by the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train submitted affidavits in the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday, voicing their opposition to the project.
A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi is hearing five petitions challenging the land acquisition process for the high-speed rail project.
Besides these petitioners, 1,000 farmers submitted separate affidavits in the high court to make a point that many more cultivators are affected by the Centre’s ambitious Rs 1.10 lakh crore project and are opposed to it.
In the affidavit, the affected farmers from various districts of Gujarat, from where the bullet train route will pass, stated that they do not want acquisition of their land for the project.
They also said that the existing land acquisition proceedings are contrary to guidelines of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) that has provided a soft loan to the Indian government for the project.
The farmers alleged that the Gujarat government diluted the Land Acquisition Act 2013 after Japan entered into a contract with India for the bullet train in September 2015 and that the state amendment itself violates JICA guidelines.
They told the court that neither their consent was taken, nor any consultations were done with them while initiating the land acquisition.
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