CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the state government to talk with the central government to expedite railway projects and bear a certain portion of the project cost.
In a statement, Anbumani expressed shock over the reports of Southern Railway returning Rs 728 crore to the Railway Ministry. “Railway projects worth Rs 33,467 crore are being implemented in Tamil Nadu. Until March, only Rs 7,154 crore has been spent. PMK is demanding more funds for the project. Returning the funds amounts to a betrayal of the State,” he said.
He added that the reasons cited by the Southern Railway to return the funds are not acceptable. Lack of detailed reports and delay in land acquisition are cited as the reasons. “In the past, unspent funds were utilised for other projects within the state. Diverting funds to other states should not be allowed,” he said.
Condemning the State government for not taking any measures to expedite the projects, Anbumani pointed out that states like Karnataka and Maharashtra share the expenditure to speed up the works.
“If the funds are allocated at the present pace, it would take 20 years to complete the ongoing projects. Moreover, the state government should share the expenditure,” he demanded.