Stalin urges PM’s intervention; 'ready to visit Delhi’

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his personal intervention to reconsider the Union government’s rejection of Metro Rail proposals for Coimbatore and Madurai. Stalin also expressed his readiness to visit New Delhi with officials to provide further clarifications.

In the letter, the chief minister conveyed “deep disappointment and anguish” over the decision of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), noting that the rejection had caused “deep resentment” among residents of both cities. He said the State had given top priority to the projects, prepared Detailed Project Reports and submitted them to the Centre after multiple discussions.

Stalin said he had personally highlighted the importance of these projects in two separate meetings with the prime minister this year and had also submitted a memorandum specifying Tamil Nadu’s priority infrastructure proposals. The rejection, he said, came as “a complete surprise”.

He pointed out that the population of the Coimbatore Local Planning Area had crossed two million in 2011, while Madurai is now nearing this threshold. He questioned the “selective application” of the Metro Rail Policy since several tier-II cities, including Agra, Indore and Patna, received Metro approval despite not meeting the population norm at the time.

Calling the comparison of ridership projections with Chennai inappropriate, the chief minister said Comprehensive Mobility Plans prepared by RITES and other agencies had already identified the need for rail-based mobility in both cities. These assessments, he said, were not adequately considered.

Stalin added that he had directed the Department of Special Initiatives to submit detailed clarifications on every point raised by MoHUA. He urged the prime minister to instruct the ministry to review the decision in the interest of “industrial and cultural hubs of Tamil Nadu”.