Urban Mirror Correspondent
New Delhi, May 1: The Lok Gathbandhan Party to criticized the NDA and Maharashtra Governments for the problems of farmers in the state. The party said the acquisition of land of farmers for unviable Bullet Train project from Mumbai to Ahmedabad will spell disaster for the farming community in the region.
The spokesman of the party said here on Tuesday that after long march of farmers from Nashik to Mumbai in March the farmers are again gearing up for protest against acquisition of their land for bullet train project. The spokesman said at time when farmers are facing innumerable problems for various reasons taking away their land for this project which will only bleed the railways, is wholly unjustified. The spokesman said the cost of this unfeasible project is around Rs 1,10 lakh crore for just 500 odd kilometres between the two cities. Pointing out that cost which includes Rs 88000 crore loan from Japan, the spokesman said the project could become a huge burden on the state exchequer in the years to come. The spokesman said according to reports its financial viability will be possible only when the train makes 100 trips daily carrying a total of around one lakh passengers which will be absolutely impossible. The spokesman said the country needs vast improvements in present railway services and infrastructure rather than draining out financial resources on such a unrealistic project.
The spokesman recalled that in March farmers were forced to march to register their protest for failure of the government to solve their problems. The spokesman said that protest indicated that the farmers did not trust the NDA government’s assurance of doubling farm income through increase in minimum support prices (MSPs). The spokesman said that the NDA government’s promise of 50% return to farmers is misleading, as the role of MSPs is very limited in addressing the growing crisis in farm sector. The spokesman said the farmers problems are more or less same all over the country and the NDA government has done nothing except false promises during the last four years. The spokesman said Maharashtra government has not even properly implemented the loan waiver scheme promised in last assembly election. The spokesman said with such crises acquisition of land for the train project would further aggravate the farmers woes in the state. The party said farmers are most vulnerable community, depending entirely on various natural and man-made forces, for their sustenance.
