JICA to review issues raised by farmers affected by bullet train project

  • | Sunday | 9th December, 2018

The JICA (India) chief executive has promised that JICA guidelines will be followed in letter and spirit and that they will not allow any violation. The government wants to start MAHSR project based on environment impact assessment (EIA) report of 2010. There is complete violation of social impact assessment, food security and farmers’ compensation. The discussion was focused on environmental impact, social impact, food security and land compensation to the farmers.Rohit Prajapati, a member of PSS, told TOI, “The MAHSR project of central government has violated JICA guidelines. The JICA (India) chief executive was very positive in his approach and promised that JICA’s guidelines will be followed in toto and that any violation will terminate the funding contract for MAHSR project.

Surat: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the funding agency for Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail (MAHSR), has expressed its willingness to review social and environmental impact, food security and compensation issues raised by Gujarat Khedut Samaj (GKS) and Vadodara-based Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS) during a meeting held in the Diamond City on Saturday.After spending two days meeting the affected people in Surat, Bharuch, Navsari and Valsad, JICA representatives led by its chief executive (India), Katasuo Matsumoto, held a two hour discussion with the office-bearers of GKS and PSS in the city on the bullet train project . The discussion was focused on environmental impact, social impact, food security and land compensation to the farmers.Rohit Prajapati, a member of PSS, told TOI, “The MAHSR project of central government has violated JICA guidelines. The government wants to start MAHSR project based on environment impact assessment (EIA) report of 2010. There is complete violation of social impact assessment, food security and farmers’ compensation. The JICA (India) chief executive has promised that JICA guidelines will be followed in letter and spirit and that they will not allow any violation. JICA is also constituting a committee for the affected and has invited us to be a part of it.”Farmers and villagers, who stand to lose their houses and farmlands due to the bullet train project, have stated that they will not part with their land or houses until JICA guidelines are followed in toto by the central and state governments.GKS president Jayesh Patel told TOI, “If JICA’s own guidelines are violated then there is no meaning to fund a project worth Rs1 lakh crore. The JICA (India) chief executive was very positive in his approach and promised that JICA’s guidelines will be followed in toto and that any violation will terminate the funding contract for MAHSR project. It is imperative that JICA takes stringent and prompt action to redress violations and address our concerns transparently and in a time-bound manner.”

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