How mango, 'chiku' may stop India’s bullet train

The bullet train project in India is facing a challenge from Mango and sapota (the fruit popularly known as ‘chiku’) growers in Maharashtra who are backed by local politicians.

The fruit growers are up in arms protestesting against the proposed acquisition of their land for the bullet train project – unwilling to surrender their land without alternative employment guarantees.

The protests by these farmers stand as a major hindrance for the government and are likely to delay the December deadline for completing all land acquisition formalities for the $17 billion Japan-backed project.

Protests have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a 108-km (kilometre) stretch, which is around one-fifth of the entire bullet train corridor connecting Mumbai with Ahmedabad, the largest commercial city in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat. Read More

Bullet Train, PM Modi