CHENNAI: Pointing out to Karnataka’s decision to bear 50 per cent of the project costs to expedite ongoing railway projects, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the Tamil Nadu government to take a similar decision to complete projects in the State.

In a statement, Anbumani said that the announcement was made during Siddaramaiah’s recent budget speech. “As many as nine railway projects are ongoing in Karnataka worth Rs 16,235 crore. As per the announcement, the Karnataka government will provide Rs 9,847 crore and acquire land required for the projects using State funds,” the statement added.

Saying that PMK has been demanding the Tamil Nadu government to share expenditure with the central government for railway projects, Anbumani opined that refusal by the government is the reason for the delays.

“Presently, 22 projects worth Rs 33,467 crore are being implemented in Tamil Nadu. But, only Rs 7,154 crore has been spent until March last year. Mere 2.75 per cent work is completed on new lines and 3.82 per cent is completed in doubling lines. If the present allocations continue, it would take 25 years to complete the projects,” he warned.