Stalin calls Union govt's 'no metro' decision for Madurai, Coimbatore

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday hit out at the Union BJP government for rejecting Metro Rail projects for Madurai and Coimbatore calling the move an act of revenge against the people of the stateIn a post on X Stalin said the Centre had told the state No metro for the Temple City of Madurai and South Indias Manchester Coimbatore despite similar projects being cleared in other smaller cities in BJPruled statesThe Union BJP government has denied Metro Rail for Temple City Madurai and for South Indias Manchester Coimbatore on flimsy grounds A government exists to serve people without bias Yet the Union BJP treats Tamil Nadus democratic choice as a reason to take revenge wrote CM Stalin in his postThe Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry recently reportedly returned Tamil Nadus Detailed Project Reports for the two TierII cities citing the Metro Rail Policy 2017 which restricts central support to urban agglomerations with a population of at least 20 lakh as per the 2011 Census according to reportsCoimbatore and Madurai had populations of about 1584 lakh and 15 lakh respectively in 2011 falling short of that threshold the Centre has pointed out in its communication rejecting the states proposalsQuestioning what he called an uneven application of the policy the CM noted that Metro projects had been approved in cities such as Agra Bhopal and Patna which also fall below the 20 lakh norm but are located in BJPruled statesHe contended that the Union government was treating Tamil Nadus democratic verdict against the BJP as a reason to take revenge by denying key infrastructure to its peopleA government must function in a manner that is fair to all and not display such a mean approach of punishing oppositionruled states Stalin said terming the rejection of the projects disgracefulDescribing Madurai as Kovil Nagar Temple City and Coimbatore as the Manchester of South India he said both cities deserved modern mass transit systems and accused the Centre of slighting their aspirations with its No Metro responseThe chief minister asserted that his government along with the people of Madurai and Coimbatore would defeat what he alleged was the BJPs vindictive design and ensure that Metro Rail becomes a reality in the two urban centresTamil Nadu had submitted DPRs a Comprehensive Mobility Plan and an Alternative Analysis Report for the two projects between February and December 2024 and in March this year the Centre had informed Parliament that they were under consideration before the latest rejectionThe Metro proposals are part of the DMK governments broader effort to expand mass transit beyond Chennai and improve connectivity in fastgrowing industrial centres across the state a demand Stalin has repeatedly raised with the Union government including through earlier representations seeking approval for Coimbatore and Madurai Metro RailThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever