(EDs: Recasting overnight story)New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) Railway Minister Piyush Goyal hasdefended the Centre's decision to launch bullet trainproject in India, stating that it was part of the country'sdevelopmental plans.
He was replying to a query yesterday on Quora, a websitewhere users ask questions and invite answers from the onlinecommunity - "Does India actually need a bullet train"?Goyal, who has an active presence on social media, gave a884-word defence of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail(MAHSR), popularly known as the 'Bullet Train'. He alsoincluded several graphics with pictures of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi to illustrate his point.
"India is a rapidly developing economy with numerousdevelopmental needs. A major component of India'sdevelopmental plan is the upgradation of current rail networksas well as the development of new high speed rail corridorspopularly known as bullet trains.
"The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project is avisionary project by the NDA government which will herald anew era of safety, speed and service for the people, and helpthe Indian Railways become an international leader in scale,speed and skill," Goyal said.
He said although introduction of a technology is oftenmet with resistance but it eventually goes on to usher inchange.
"New technology has not always been adopted easily, andhas at most times seen resistance. However, history shows usthat new technology and advancements are highly beneficial forthe country," he said.
The railway minister cited the example of the start ofthe Rajdhani Trains in 1968 which was opposed by manyincluding the chairman of the railway board.
"Such things keep India backward. But today, they are thetrains that everyone wishes to travel in," the minister said.
Giving another example, Goyal argued that many thoughtIndia was not ready for new technology like mobile phones, buttoday India is the second largest market for such phones inthe world with almost every Indian owning a mobile phone set.
"Similarly, the bullet train project will also helprailways revolutionise every passenger's journey," he said.
Goyal also gave a detailed report of how bullet train isa "low-cost project", how it will promote Modi's 'Make inIndia' doctrine, work with cutting edge Japanese technologyand usher in economic growth by creating thousands of jobs.
PTI ASG ENM SRYRCJ.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.