MADURAI: Trade and industry bodies in Madurai have expressed disappointment over the Union government’s rejection of the city’s Metro Rail proposal on the grounds of insufficient resident population, arguing that the criterion fails to reflect the city’s actual transit demands.
S Rethinavelu, president of the Agri and All Trade Chamber, said the decision overlooks Madurai’s daily operational population, which far exceeds its residential numbers. He noted that Madurai serves as an economic, cultural, tourism, medical, and travel hub for several southern districts, drawing thousands of people each day for work, education, trade, treatment, and sightseeing.
He added that most visitors return to their hometowns by evening, creating a massive daily inflow and outflow that strains city infrastructure but remains invisible in population-based assessments.
Madurai’s importance as a major tourism centre—anchored by the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple and its proximity to destinations such as Rameswaram, Kanniyakumari, Courtallam and Kodaikanal—further increases its transit load, he pointed out. The city’s reputation as a medical tourism hub also brings in patients from across India and abroad.
This combined operational population, Rethinavelu said, has led to exponential growth in two-wheelers, cars, commercial vehicles and trucks, overwhelming the city’s existing roads and bridges. The result is severe congestion, saturation and rising pollution that affect residents and visitors alike.
Calling the population-based evaluation “incomplete and unfair,” the Chamber stressed that Madurai, as the gateway of southern Tamil Nadu, urgently needs a high-capacity public transport system. It argued that Metro Rail is a necessity, not a luxury.
The Chamber urged the Union government to reassess the proposal using a holistic understanding of Madurai’s mobility patterns and regional significance, and requested the State government to press the Centre for immediate approval of the project.