Rlys finding excuses to stall funds for TN projects, says Venkatesan
Venkatesan noted that last year’s railway Pink Book was released only after the conclusion of the Parliamentary session, and this year, the government has avoided releasing it altogether, raising suspicions of deliberate obfuscation
CHENNAI: Madurai CPM MP Su Venkatesan has strongly criticised the Union government for allegedly stalling several railway development projects in Tamil Nadu.
Citing a letter dated May 14, 2025, from the general manager of Southern Railway to the Railway Board, the MP claimed that crucial projects have been deliberately kept in abeyance in the State, and funds allocated to them are now being surrendered.
Venkatesan, in a post on social media platform X, said the letter confirmed his long-standing concerns that the BJP-led Centre had no genuine intention to implement railway projects in Tamil Nadu. He noted that last year’s railway Pink Book was released only after the conclusion of the Parliamentary session, and this year, the government has avoided releasing it altogether, raising suspicions of deliberate obfuscation.
He criticised the meagre allocation of just Rs 1,000 crore to Tamil Nadu railway projects and said the Centre continued to withhold actual budgetary figures. He also questioned why several projects were downgraded to the survey stage without explanation.
According to the letter from Southern Railway, many projects allocated funds in the 2025–26 budget cannot be executed as they remain frozen under a 2019 Railway Board directive. These include the Tindivanam–Gingee–Tiruvannamalai and Attipattu–Puttur lines, each with Rs 42.70 crore, now proposed for surrender. Other projects such as the Erode–Palani and Madurai–Thoothukudi (via Aruppukottai) lines, are also being dropped or frozen, resulting in the surrender of Rs 50 crore and Rs 55.17 crore, respectively.
The Rameswaram–Dhanushkodi line is being abandoned due to ecological concerns raised by the Tamil Nadu government. Additionally, three major doubling projects — Katpadi–Villupuram (Rs 200.44 crore), Salem–Karur–Dindigul (Rs 100 crore), and Erode–Karur (Rs 100 crore) — are still under the DPR stage, with their respective funds also to be surrendered.
Venkatesan said his earlier questions on why certain projects were moved to survey status are now answered. He accused the Centre of attempting to conceal its actions by withholding the Pink Book and falsely blaming the Tamil Nadu Government for land acquisition delays.
Condemning the move, the Left MP urged the Union government to immediately revive and implement the stalled projects to ensure the State’s equitable development.
