India, March 30 -- While the under-construction Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway (MAHSR), better known as the bullet train project, may well benefit commuters in future, it has caused grief to many families living on the outskirts of Mumbai. From land acquisition and compensation issues to land grab by the Vasai-Virar mafia to houses in the path of the project being damaged by blasting work, a litany of woes emerged when HT spoke to them.

Land dues

Two hundred farmers from six villages in Palghar (Jalsar, Virathan, Shelke, Marde, Tembikhodave and Virathan Khurd) claimed that their land was acquired by the land acquisition officer at rates much lower than what land owners in Gujarat and Palghar were getting.

Kamlakar Patil from Tembi...