Amid the reports of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) suspending the funding for the ambitious Bullet Train or High Speed Rail (HSR) between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, the Japanese agency has clarified that the loan agreement for the project has not yet been signed.

However, the work on the ₹1.08 lakh crore project has already been started in December 2017. About 80 per cent of the project funding is scheduled to come from ODA (official development assistance) loan from JICA.

Responding to a BusinessLine query, JICA stated, “The loan agreement for the construction of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail itself has not yet been signed.”

JICA further stated that it had signed a loan agreement in September 2017 for assistance to construct a training institute for the High Speed Rail. “JICA has signed a Loan Agreement last September for ¥10,453 million (₹672 crore) for the project for the construction of Training Institute for Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, but we have not stopped any funds for this project,” the emailed response stated.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project which earlier was to be completed by 2023 now faces a earlier deadline — 2022.

But a local farmers group under the banner of Gujarat Khedut Samaj has been opposing the land acquisition for the project. Total land requirement for the project is over 1,400 ha, which includes 353 ha in three districts in Maharashtra and 1,047 ha in eight districts in Gujarat and some areas in Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

Commenting on the protests , JICA stated, “As far as the protests are concerned, we are aware of it through various articles, but we are currently confirming the facts with the executing agency. Land acquisition is the responsibility of the Indian Government, and land acquisition is not scheduled to be funded under the ODA.”

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