Japan stops cash for bullet train after project stalled over land row

The protest against land acquisition for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project has become a huge roadblock for the cash flow from Japan.

The latest installment that funding agency Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was supposed to release for last quarter, did not reach, said sources from Gujarat government. The JICA stopped the payment on the grounds that the project did not show any progress due to several disputes.

A senior state official, said on condition of anonymity, "As issues over acquisition of land for the bullet train project surfaced in Gujarat as well as in Maharashtra, no progress could be made. The agreements for payment of installment is conditional and the funds arrive from JICA if the progress is constant. The first installment of Rs 125 crore was sanctioned when the Japanese PM visited Gujarat in last September."

"The state government has been trying hard to expedite the land acquisition by talking to farmers. The next installment of fund will not arrive unless the progress is achieved," said the official.

The JICA has agreed to provide nearly Rs. 80,000 crore for the High Speed Rail Project (HSRP) estimated at 1 lakh crore.

The amount to be provided by the Japanese body to India will be given in installments as a soft loan for 15 years. The fund will come in installments.

While the rest of Rs. 20,000 crore will be paid by Gujarat and Maharashtra state government jointly and that too in installments. The special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the project was formed with the equity of Rs. 500 crore in last September only.

The chief secretary of Gujarat Dr JN Singh coordinates with different partner agencies in the project on behalf of Gujarat government. Talking on the issue, Singh said, "The Gujarat government is hardly aware of any development of cash flow from JICA for the project as it is not our purview. If that has happen in any case, the installment will come in future anytime as it comes viz a viz project implementation."

The revenue minister Kaushik Patel said that the Gujarat government was seriously making effort for land acquisition and CM has asked the government to ensure that no farmer should be meted with injustice in due process.