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The Metro Rail proposals submitted by the Tamil Nadu authorities for Coimbatore and Madurai person discrepancies, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar said connected Thursday (November 20, 2025).
“It is unfortunate that Hon’ble Chief Minister Thiru. Stalin has chosen to politicise and make contention implicit the exertion of The Metro Policy 2017, which is simply a process designed to guarantee that costly infrastructure projects specified arsenic Metro Rail Systems, make maximum payment for the public," helium said successful a societal media post.
The Chief Minister connected Wednesday (November 19) slammed the Union government, saying: “A authorities exists to service the radical without bias. Yet, the Union BJP (government) treats Tamil Nadu's antiauthoritarian prime arsenic a crushed to instrumentality revenge.”
Mr. Khattar said the Chief Minister has ignored the Central government’s “magnanimous sanction”, connected October 3 past year, to the Chennai Metro Phase-2 task astatine a outgo of ₹63,246 crore for a way magnitude of 119 km. “This is the biggest-ever sanctioned metro project,” helium said.
The Union Minister reiterated the method points made successful his Ministry’s missive dated November 14, 2025, to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary portion returning the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs).
The Minister said contempt Coimbatore having a shorter way magnitude compared to the Chennai Metro system, the postulation projections for Coimbatore are greater than those for Chennai. “On the look of it, it appears erroneous,” helium said.
The projected mean travel lengths and velocity differentials betwixt roadworthy postulation and the metro bash not enactment the anticipation of a modal displacement of postulation to a metro system, helium said.
Further, arsenic per the DPR for Coimbatore, determination is inadequate close of mode astatine 7 metro presumption locations.
He further said that the Comprehensive Mobility Plan of Madurai stipulates that with the existent ridership, a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is justifiable.
The Coimbatore Municipal Population (CMC with 257 sq. km) country has a colonisation of 15.85 lakh (2011) and the Local Planning Area (LPA with 1287 sq. km) has a colonisation of 7.7 lakh. Ridership projections are made for modal shifts wrong the Local Planning Area, which is 5 times bigger than the CMC area. This projected displacement to metro strategy needs justification, helium said.
Further, helium said the Tamil Nadu authorities has chosen not to usage the payment of the Central government’s ‘PM e-bus sewa’ intended to supply 10,000 aerial conditioned e-buses successful antithetic cities. Under this scheme, Central fiscal assistance is fixed for buses, the instauration of depot infrastructure, and Behind the Meter facilities. “Despite repeated persuasion, from GoTN has not participated successful this strategy truthful far,” helium said.
