Bullet train project officials return disappointed as Gujarat ‘will look into’ handing over land in Vadodara

The Gujarat government is yet to transfer the required land in Vadodara for the ambitious bullet train project, if project officials are to be believed. Senior project officials are said to have travelled from Delhi to Gujarat in the hope of resolving the issue. However, they reportedly returned disappointed, as the only response they received was a vague assurance: “We will look into it.”

Notably, work on the bullet train project is progressing at a rapid pace. The land designated in Vadodara for the bullet train station, parking area, and foot overbridge falls under the jurisdiction of the Roads and Buildings Department. A total of 17,908 square metres of land has been allocated for this project, and ₹174.40 crore was already deposited with the government in April 2024. However, the project is stalled because the land has still not been officially handed over.

As per sources, over the past two years, bullet train project officials have been repeatedly corresponding with authorities for the land, but to no avail. On Thursday, Project Director Pradeep Sharma and other senior officials had travelled from Delhi to Vadodara to get things working. 

They went to inspect the site but found that the land still remained under the control of the state government and had not yet been handed over. They are said to have attempted to contact state officials to get a status update even on site.

As per a source, when the bullet train officials called a secretary of the Roads and Buildings Department, his response was, “I have many tasks, I’ll look into it.” Similarly, when they tried contacting the Superintendent Engineer for a status update, they received no proper response.