CHENNAI: DMK deputy General Secretary and Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Thursday petitioned Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to allot necessary funds and continue the Madurai-Thoothukudi new line project.
The Southern Railway general manager had on July 24 proposed to the railway board to freeze the project. After DT Next broke the story on the GM’s recommendation to freeze the project on August 5, another MP from a southern district had flagged the issue.
In her representation to Ashiwini Vaishnaw on Thursday, Kanimozhi drew the minister’s attention to Southern Railways proposal to freeze the Madurai - Thoothukudi 143.50 km railway line and said, “On July 13, the Ministry of Railways stated that the Commissioner of Railway Safety inspected the project and cleared it for operation. But the operations have not been started yet.”
Referring to the letter of the General Manager, Southern Railways, dated July 24, 2023, recommending the Railway Board via Letter No. W.CN/MS/Budget/2023-24 to freeze the project, the DMK MP said the project was already delayed for many years and this move to freeze the project for want of funds will delay it for many more years.
“Therefore I request you to allot necessary funds to continue the project and expedite the completion of the same at the earliest,” the MP said in her representation to the Union Railway Minister.