Locals say they have lost produce between July 2024 and January 2025 due to reckless ways of those executing showpiece project; the NHSRCL's Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, part of India’s first bullet train project, spans 508 kilometres and is considered a vital initiative
Husain showing the debris on his land
In January 2025, when there was cheer amid news reports that India and Japan were working on introducing the most advanced class of E-10 Shinkansen trains capable of reaching speeds up to 400 kmph on the upcoming bullet train project in India, 59-year-old photojournalist-turned-farmer for 16 years Fawzan Husain Ahmed from Chari village, Chari Kotbi, near Dahanu was making rounds of the local National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) office in Dahanu with a reminder letter of his complaints.
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Fawzan Husain’s damaged boundary barricade
His IS land had been procured for the ambitious national project, and he was happy with the compensation that he received and had his area demarcated, but recently careless local contractors working on the project had been breaching his boundary. With debris dumped on his land, it became an open field for stray cattle and trespassers and hence he was unable to grow any yield.
Aggrieved farmers speak
“We are not against the Shinkansens and the project, but against the way the reckless local contractors are treating our private property. There were a total of 17 cement poles that have been broken and six barbed coils damaged. This has led to stray cattle entering my farm, and in the process, I have lost more than 40 banana trees, a quarter of an acre of Tuwar plantation, a corn plantation, four tender coconut trees, seven mulberry trees, and a total wipeout of Ambadi plant. I sent my first complaint letter in July 2024 and then a reminder in January 2025,” Fawzan Husain Ahmed said.
Workers fixing the barricades and mending all the borders
“I have written two letters but to no avail. My neighbour's boundary wall has also been smashed to the ground. Another neighbour who did not put up the boundary they have dumped all the stones and concrete on his land. Imagine a fertile soil now made useless. I have been fully cooperating with all the staff for their every small need, but this is the state,” he said.
His neighbour, 75-year-old Bhagwan Dubla, has not been able to sow on his field for the past few years for fear of cattle, trespassers and debris dumped on his land. “With open fields, the area has become porous. And it is not just rice, but lots of other plantations like chikoo also. The bullet train workers also come and sit in the field in the afternoons and leave garbage. We do not have a problem with them coming and sitting in the shade, but the garbage they leave after that is the problem,” Dubla explained.
Bhagwan Dubla, a farmer
His son, 40-year-old Amit Dubla, said, “It is not just garbage, but the sheer amount of debris dumped on our land which makes it impossible to do anything. It was once a fertile land and with the muck and debris, the topsoil is gone, and the land has become barren. Now if I want to remove the debris, I will need to get an excavator at my cost as the quantity is huge and cannot be undone easily,” says Amit Dubla. “The local contractors are approachable, and they are well aware of the issue and always say yes to solving the grievances, but sadly, however, no rectification happens on the ground,” Fawzan Husain Ahmed said.
“After the measurements were done, I had left a foot extra and got my area fenced but now I am in this mess. Work started in March last year, and there has not been much progress. When our areas were breached, we took up the issue immediately, but no number of complaints helped. It becomes extremely difficult to stop the abandoned cattle from entering the farm. It's a big struggle to keep them away; we somehow manage and guard the farm during the day, but it becomes extremely difficult during the night. At one time, we had almost 32 stray cattle on my farm, and they finished almost every crop on the field,” he added.
Amit Dubla, a farmer
“Excavation material such as stones, mud, soil, plants, iron bars and other material has been dumped in our private farm which does not come into NHSRCL’s (bullet train) possession. We wrote a letter in December 2024 complaining about the issue,” another neighbour Vijaykumar P Shah from Hardik farm at Chari Tarf Kotebi said. The Shinkansens will travel 15 to 20 metres above the ground over fields on an elevated stretch. The bullet train team has acquired about sixty feet of land along the entire stretch to set up pillars. Once construction is finished, the area will be fenced off.
“During construction, it seems there will be issues, and we are losing both crops and income. Progress appears slow because there has been little development on the erected pillars. They also seem to face logistical problems with bringing in materials and are focusing on pillars near the main road where transport is easier. Still, our only request is that they work within their designated areas and avoid affecting us,” said Amit Dubla.
The NHSRCL's Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, part of India’s first bullet train project, spans 508 kilometres and is considered a vital initiative. This project will provide fast connectivity between Maharashtra and Gujarat. Starting from Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Maharashtra, the high-speed train will run at 320 km/h and change intercity travel in the region, connecting Mumbai, Vapi, Surat, Anand, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad. There will be stations in 10 cities: Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimoria, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, and Ahmedabad, with the train terminating at Sabarmati. The full journey will take around 2 hours and 7 minutes.
Other side
When mid-day approached the NHSRCL team, their spokesperson said that it is always NHSRCL’s endeavour not to cause any inconvenience to the residents in the adjoining areas of bullet train construction sites. Corrective measures would be immediately taken in this case. A special team of senior officials visited Chari village and adjoining areas and fixed all the broken fences, mending all the borders.
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