The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), along with the Thane civic body, was directed by the Bombay High Court to reply to a construction firm’s plea against a notice to stop the ongoing work on the piece of land that is reserved for the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. This not so pleasant direction came on 10th October after Atlanta Limited’s moving the High Court last month for challenging the notice issued on 2nd May this year by the Thane Municipal Corporation. The notice asked the company to halt construction activities on its land stretching to 3 hectare near Mumbra town in Thane district. The notice also said that the building was encroaching upon the land that was reserved for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project which is spread across three districts of the state of Maharashtra. The counsel appearing for the petitioner, MM Vashi, argued before the division bench comprising of acting Chief Justice NH Patil and Justice GS Kulkarni, that the TMC notice did not mention their plot. When the counsel for NHSRCL, TJ Pandian, replied that it was mistake, the bench made the observation that the mistake caused suffering to the petitioner and directed both the parties to file their responses within a week’s time. As per the petition, the Company’s construction of two residential towers is complete with the third tower’s construction ongoing. Justice Vashi said that the commencement certificate for the project has already been issued and necessary permissions taken. The petition went on to say that the company found a public notice dated 13.03.2018 by virtue of which the acquiring process of the land had to be undertaken by NHSRCL itself without any mention of the construction firm’s land. Despite this, the petition read, the notice was served to the Company’s architect instructing to stop the construction. The bullet train project was launched in September 2017 by Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The speed of the train would range from 320 kmph to 350 kmph. Land across Gujarat and Maharashtra shall be acquired in return of compensation to the approximately 6,000 land owners.
Courtesy/By: Mansi Mishra
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12 Oct 2018
